Part 1

Ellis East Elementary Walkthrough

May 18

Classroom 2-A

It was odd that Maryann was not on the playground. At any rate, I am climbing the front staircase. Unlike the side and back staircases, these stairs are made of wood. My knowledge of architecture tells me that they are solid, but as a child I always found them to be rickety. I think it is because they are very creaky [stairs creak] 

The stairs are painted grey, with an intricate railing which is painted a pale blue. 

I have reached the top of the stairs. I am directly underneath the tower, where there is a large window, overlooking the school yard. If I face the hallway, this portion of the building has polished wooden floors, with two classrooms on either side of the hall, and a small room at the very end of the hallway, opposite the staircase, which was at one time the Title I classroom. At the end of the wooden floor is the back portion of the building I have already explored, where we find the library, music room, etc. Past the last two classrooms, the floor angles down to meet the back half of the building, creating a six-foot slope. 

When I was a student here, we had a sleepover for third grade graduation. We slide down the slope in our sleeping bags. 

I have walked down the hallway, and I am facing the hall from the opposite direction. To my right is Classroom 2A. 

I am entering the classroom. This room, like many of the others, is painted a glossy white. This room is unique in that aside from the windows lining the eastern wall, there are black slate chalkboards wrapping all the way around the room. The chalkboards are covered with children’s drawings, which range from cute to unsettling. 

Part 2

Audio diary of Dr. Anna-Georgina Plume, Assistant Professor of Architectural History, Hollingsworth University

July 24th, 8 am. Recorded over breakfast in the formal dining room. Billy Ochre also in attendance at time of recording.

A-G: It has been three days since we were driven out of the school in the middle of the night. We have had an electrician in to move the circuit breaker, and fortunately, it was a pretty easy task. 

Billy: Do we know if it would normally be this easy or if the school [as if he is searching for the word] helped? 

A-G: I did not think to ask, but I am hopeful that things will get better now that the power is out of Algernon’s hands. Literally. 

Billy: So what’s next?

A-G: We have to find a way to banish him again. Hopefully for good. Whatever they’ve done in the past has not worked entirely.

Billy: So what do we do?

A-G: I think there are several areas of focus: First, finding the answers in the records. What information can we learn about the school? Second, We focus on mapping the building. Getting a handle on the physical space is crucial. Third, I need to get answers from my family. I’m not sure if my father knows the family history here, but Nana Plume definitely has to have a sense that something is up. Finally, I think I need to find Geneva–Great Grandma Vivi’s necklace, which, I am going to assume is also the necklace Sophia continues to reference.

Part 3

Audio Diary of Dr. Anna-Georgina Plume,

July 24, 10 am

It was brought to my attention that each of the boxes from Melinda Basil, local librarian with an extreme willingness to help and mediocre document preservation skills, has corresponded with a generation of my family. Helena Reeve is my third great grandmother, Elizabeth Reeve Messinger my great-great grandmother, Geneva Anderson, my great-grandmother. So it stands to reason that the next box would be

[sound of box opening]

Nana Plume

And this would be…

Field notes of Helen Plume, PhD student in Archival Studies, 

June 1, 1954

Returning to Ellis Field for the summer to begin research into the records held in my mother’s library. Must be cautious not to arouse suspicion of the contents of her true library, as it is still believed to the public to be merely a school library. The real benefit of the library is the extensive archive on the community of Ellis Field dating back over almost 70 years since the founding of the Normal college in the building where the school now stands. Those records are currently being kept in the defunct ballroom on the third floor. 

While it is not the custom to remark on personal matters in field notes, it is worth noting that I am returning home to three generations of women in my family. My mother has taken over the library in the retirement of my grandmother Elizabeth, and along with Great Grandma Helena and Great Grandma Lucy, they live across the street in the house where I grew up.

AG Plume Commentary: The house across the street, as has been noted in Geneva’s account, is a grand Victorian with four proper stories. It has been owned by the town since the 1980s and serves as the community art and music center currently. It was donated to the town after my father had moved out of the house and my grandparents decided to downsize. 

Resuming Fieldnotes: Arthur is with me, which will be a surprise, given that I have not mentioned him in any of my letters or phone calls home. I know they will think that I am too young to marry, and to surprise them with the news that we have already wed will not land well. But for my 19 years, I have a college degree and a year of a PhD program behind me, so I feel like I am firmly established in my life.

AG Plume commentary: As someone who regularly works with both 19 year olds and second year PhD students, I’m with her family on this one. Though that is my grandfather she’s talking about and they were together for 60 years, so… I will withhold my judgment.

Resuming Fieldnotes: The train is pulling into the station at Hayden’s Landing, I will report more later. 

Postscript: It did not go well. 

June 3, 1954

Spent the morning in Mother’s archives in the third floor ballroom. Something is wrong in the school. The light from the large windows overlooking the ballroom keep shifting, but it looks like there are trees covering the windows, but that is not possible. At home, everyone is tense, and I am beginning to suspect that my o’erhasty marriage is not the only issue. Arthur is trying to win their approval by making every possible repair to the house. Great-Grandma Lucy has warmed up to him, but the other three remain stern. 

Overall, the work on the archive should keep me occupied until we have to return to DC in August.

June 4, 1954

A distressed young woman rushed up the stairs to the third floor this afternoon. She was incoherent, talking about someone named Algernon, claiming that he had to be stopped. Mother then appeared with Great Grandma Lucy, and the two tried to calm the woman down, taking her down to the library for a cup of tea. Strangely, I believe I have seen this woman before around the school when I was a child, but it cannot be possible, as she hadn’t aged in the decade since I last saw her. I will inquire after the family to determine if she perhaps has a younger sister. 

June 5, 1954

I have learned nothing of the woman from yesterday, but today my mother introduced me to Sophia, a woman in her mid-30s who ostensibly works at the school, though no one can say what her job is exactly. As far as I can tell, she is an art teacher who also provides first aid? That cannot possibly be correct.

A-G Plume Commentary: Sophia! Well that settles at least one matter.

Part 4

[Sounds of someone sorting through books]

Sophia: If you Give a Dog a Donut, My word, that franchise has gone off the rails.

Anna-Georgina: Sophia, what brings you here? And also why didn’t you say you knew my grandmother

Sophia: I just thought I would look in on the library. I’ve fully recovered from our recent scare… and I assumed you did the math. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in this building, I know. 

Anna-Georgina: That had to be scary for you. We’re trying to find the necklace, but any help you can offer

Sophia:  I don’t know. I’m not trying to be cryptic, I simply don’t remember. I know it exists, but it is a hazy dream, and I can’t find it.

Anna-Georgina: Well, we’re on it. Wait, are you dressed up?

Sophia: I have a date.

Anna-Georgina: Is that really ethical? You being the sentience of a building and not an actual person? And what are the rules about where you can go?

Sophia: I can pretty much wander freely around Ellis Field. And as for the date, it’s with the consciousness of the 3-story Neoclassical mansion over on East Chestnut street.

Anna-Georgina: I’m not sure what to do with that information… Does every building have… one of you? 

Sophia: No, but the buildings within a half mile of here that were standing when I came into being, also have a form like me… 

A-G: And you get together? 

Sophia: Some of us. The church on east street is kind of a snob… but please keep looking. I’ve been feeling lightheaded a lot these days. I’m worried. Whatever is happening is making me sick. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a movie to catch. 

A-G: What kind of movie does the consciousness of two buildings watch? [beat] and she’s gone… Never going to get used to the disappearing.

Part 5

Billy: I’ve been given the assignment of looking through the top floor for possible leads for where the alleged necklace could be hidden. This is a real needle-in-haystack sort of scenario.

So I’ve been wandering around looking for any place someone would hide something in this place. This very large place which hundreds of people have passed through over the years. 

I’ve mostly just been walking up and down the hallway looking for loose floorboards.

No luck…

[Beat]

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, so… what is the opposite?

Maybe if I look up?

[footsteps]

Eureka! 

I am standing under the window at the end of the hall, the one that looks out over the front entrance to the school, and there appears to be a trapdoor above me. It would lead up to the tower, I think. Let me get a ladder and investigate.

Part 6

Recipe Notes, Anna-Georgina Plume

How to make the perfect tea latte.

Take a teaspoon of your favorite loose Earl Grey Tea, a half teaspoon of rose petal and a half teaspoon of lavender. 

Make the tea using half a cup boiling water and steep the leaves according to the directions with your loose tea. 

You need half  a cup of plant milk (I prefer oat milk) and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and honey or agave syrup–the amount depends on your desired sweetness– or you can just use sweetened vanilla flavored plant milk if you want to skip adding the other ingredients.

Heat the milk in a pan until it reaches a temperature of 150 degrees. 

If you don’t have a milk frother, you can use a French Press, pumping it about 20 times or until the milk is nice and frothy and then pour it into your steeped tea and enjoy! The perfect drink for exploring the archives or taking on the existential threat of the angry man who died in your basement. 

Part 7

[Carousel music is playing]

Audio Diary of Dr. Anna-Georgina Plume,  July 24th, 7 pm.

I don’t know why, but I felt the need to ride the carousel.

It stopped spinning backwards awhile ago. Daryl figured out how to fix it at Gazebofest… At least it seems so…

This is nice. We go up. We go down. We go up again. We go down. We go…

[Music sped up to 1.5 speed]

We’re speeding up, this can’t be good…

Let’s see if I can get off of here

[Music speeds up to 2x original speed]

Hey now, slow back down please…

[Music speeds up to 2.5x original speed, there is the sound of a body fall]

Ooof, let’s see, nothing feels broken. Nothing else, given the left arm scenario… I’m just, on the platform of the carousel now, maybe if I can roll off

[Music speeds up to 3x   the original speed]

Echoing voice over: I need you to come to me, my child

[Music speeds up to 4 times the original speed, gets gradually louder, the stops abruptly with a record scratch type sound]

Part 8

Audio Diary of Dr. Anna-Georgina Plume, 

I am unsure of the date or the time. I am… Well I’m not sure where I am. It looks like I’m still in the building. The floors are the same, but this is a hallway I’ve never seen before. 

The hallway is more narrow. It is darker… There is a rich maroon wallpaper.

There is a room to my right, it looks like an old study, it’s filled with ferns.

If I look out to the end of the hallway, it opens to a large room.

Wait. I have been here before. This is the third floor. From my dream… 

But how?

I should sit down, I’m feeling very tired all of the sudden. 

Part 9

Ellis East Elementary Walk through May 18 

The floors are the same wood we’ve seen throughout the building. Underneath the blackboard on the northern and southern walls, the two walls not interrupted by windows or the door, there is a low bookcase. It is empty. There are a few student desks in the Southeastern corner of the room and a paisley floor rug covers most of the floor. There is what I assume is student artwork… A series of paintings on paper in a childish hand that get darker and more and more unsettling as they go. It looks like someone going down into a basement. There is a display-type shelf in the corner lined with student books and a few boxes of reading textbooks beside it. Hey, I remember this one! Miss Kitten’s Magical Journey! This was our second grade reading textbook!  

Moving along…

There is a symbol on the chalkboard with a half circle facing the ground, on the right end of the half circle line, there is a plus sign attached. It is now time to cross the hall and explore Classroom 2-B.

Lavender Evening Fog is a fiction podcast. This episode was written by Victoria Dickman-Burnett, direction and script supervision by Ben Baird, produced, mixed, and edited  by Nick Federinko with additional editing by Victoria Dickman-Burnett. Executive Producers are Ben Baird and Victoria Dickman-Burnett. The voice of Anna-Georgina Plume is Victoria Dickman-Burnett. The voice of Billy is Nick Federinko. The voice of Sophia is Amy Yap. The mysterious voice is Kat Falk. The Lavender Evening Fog logo was designed by Alicyn Dickman and Ms. Bitey, our carousel opossum was designed by Matt Lowe.  

This episode is brought to you by the Ellis Field Gazebo Commission. Ellis Field, Ohio–The Gazebo Capital of the Midwest! We mean gazebusiness. 

This episode pairs well with a pumpkin spice black tea, because it is indeed the season