Compiled from reports filed with the Royal Constabulary of Eyehasseen.
1. The House That Answered Back
Residents of Croft Street complained of groaning walls and whispers emerging from Number 9, long unoccupied since its owner vanished last winter. A patrolman entered to investigate and was heard asking, “Who’s there?”—to which a voice from the walls distinctly replied, “Who indeed?” The officer exited promptly and submitted for sick leave, citing “structural irregularities of a conversational nature.” The property is now boarded and marked for theological inspection.
2. The Clock That Would Not Stop
In the hamlet of Woodhaven, a parish clock continued striking thirteen long after being dismantled. The mechanism was discovered still in its crate, hammering air. When finally silenced, the local doctor noted that several villagers’ watches had simultaneously stopped at the same moment—precisely thirteen minutes past midnight. The crate has been sealed in lead and shipped to the Observatory for “astronomical quarantine.”
3. Disappearance at the Glass Orchard
A farmer near Redmere claims his entire crop of crystal apples—displayed annually at the Winter Fair—vanished overnight. Only the stalks remained, tipped with frost. A single apple was later found in the forest, half buried, its reflection showing “someone else’s hand” when held up to the moonlight. The Constabulary warns collectors not to handle unfamiliar fruit from unknown orchards “until the matter clarifies itself.”
4. The Mourners Who Never Spoke
A funeral was held in the old cemetery for a woman named Maren Blythe, though no one by that name is listed in parish records. Witnesses saw twelve mourners in identical black veils carrying a coffin of polished glass. When the constable approached to request their papers, the procession turned and dispersed into the fog. The grave was later inspected and found empty. The undertaker has since left the country.
5. The Painter of Shadows
Patrons at the Rook Street Gallery complained that portraits recently hung there seemed to “move when unobserved.” One visitor reported recognizing her own reflection within a painted crowd scene that had not been there the day before. When the artist was questioned, he admitted using “borrowed silhouettes” collected at twilight. The paintings were confiscated; several continue to darken in storage despite the absence of light.