#tma textpost

I repeat.

S2 Jon

Martin

The Not-Sasha to Sasha

Daisy

Basira

Elias, suspiciously

Nikola

Jared Hopworth

Jane Prentiss

Tim

Melanie

So, I was listening to 46 and it is pretty clearly meant to represent a meeting between the forces at play in the protocol universe, right? I don't know too much about alchemy, so I won't be diving into that side of things, but I look forward to seeing other people's takes on that. The only real alchemical link that I see is the number of people at the meeting (7 + Adam) and the number of investments going from 9 to 7 (the significance of 7 and 9 in alchemy). Also, in the transcript, "led" is spelled "lead" a couple of times, which may be a pun/alchemy reference.

Anyway, there is already so much to be said about the names. Having (presumably?) two people (the CEO and CFO) being referred to by the same name is perhaps the most significant choice, clearly alluding to the themes/motifs of mimicking/copying and the blurring of identities seen throughout many (if not all) of the other episodes so far. Plus, these are the leaders of the company, perhaps tying into the motifs of old vs. new and parent vs. child, suggesting that the blurring of identities in such a way is a major force here, I am not sure how to word this. Maybe it is even suggesting that to gain power/leadership in the realm of the supernatural, one's identity must blur and be transformed (As seen in Jon, Martin, and so many other characters throughout TMA and protocol). Anyway, onto the many other names in this episode.

Senior Vice President, Consulting: Geoffrey (meaning god or peace), and the "Geo" may be referencing the stone/earth motif which contrasts the motifs of colonization and "alien" beings; and Malachi (meaning messenger of God or "my angel"), further connecting this character to religion and the position as God or a messenger for a God-like figure.

Senior Vice President, Human and Labour Resources: Zach, meaning "God remembers", tying this being to the themes of nostalgia and religion; Francis, meaning "free man" or "Frenchman", ties this figure to the idea of freedom (I guess the question is, from what); and Allan, meaning "peaceful" or "little rock", further connecting this character to Geoffrey and the stone/earth motif.

International Consulting Representative: Aina, which means love, affection, that which feeds, always, eyes/sight, life, land, lover of green, and mirror. Immediately, this connects Aina to the motif of plants and eyes/knowledge. The last name, Lake, references the motif of water, specifically water that is confined (with water being used to represent knowledge and the mind, this has some intriguing implications).

Senior Vice President, recruiting: Iris, which, like Aina, connects the motif of eyes and knowledge to plants (specifically flowers rather than trees). I think this may be my favourite name choice, as it further displays the fact that this case is representative of a meeting between the different forces at play in the Protocol universe. This is shown through the fact that the iris consists of the nerves and muscles that control the pupil, deciding how much light enters into the eye in order to put things into focus. Iris (the being) is literally a muscle controlling what is seen and how, constantly changing and adjusting for the amount of light, tying them to the motif of change/transformation. Lee means sanctuary, meadow, or even sharp according to a couple of sources. This name meaning "sharp" could be a reference to the motif of cutting and knives that has haunted the narrative since Mag 200 (honestly, before that too, but that was just foreshadowing 200). The meaning "meadow" connects this character to the motif of plants, specifically ones that are not domesticated or controlled, as they may be in gardens or farms. "Sanctuary" combined with "meadow" may suggest that this character represents forces that have not been urbanized and made to fit into a capitalist society, contrasting Adam's character. To have this character be the head of recruitment is certainly A Choice.

Communication Specialist: Mark, which may just be referring to the act of being marked by the supernatural, but it is also a reference to Mars, which I believe is connected to iron (the metal representing human strength) and the colour red in alchemy. Also, Mars is the God of War. Mitchell is likely a joke, as it is related to the name Michael. However, it means "who is like God?", which plays into the theme of identity and the mimicking of a being or power. This is in direct contrast to Geoffrey and Zach.

A quick note: Iris and Mark are labelled as "attending remotely", playing into the motif of technology and identity. They are depending upon technology to allow them to speak and communicate their opinions to the other's. This is especially interesting seeing as Iris is heavily connected to the motif of plants, the motif that most contrasts those associated with technology (colonization, urbanization, destruction and transformation of the land, etc). However, Iris is tied to flowers and change, conveying that flowers may differ from trees in that they represent the more constantly changing parts of The Garden/Farm/Forest (ecosystem) of forces and beings that is the Protocol universe. This is why Iris is willing to embrace technology as a tool.

Into the meeting and how motifs and themes interact. Immediately, Zach is allied with Iris, as Iris seconded Zach's motion to have the meeting on the 17th of November, 2023. This allies the flowers with the rocks/land and older God-like figures which now rely on nostalgia ("god remembers"). Aina is, of course, due to their alignment with eyes and water (knowledge), the one to provide an update on Zorrotrade's "winddown".

As a quick side tangent, but I swear it is connected because it is a name choice (I didn't post about Futures, so I will do this here). The name Zorrotrade for an app that profits off of people betting on their own misery reeks of irony considering the figure of Zorro, a character shown in many works as working against authorities and the wealthy in order to help other people. This is likely intended to fit into the theme of how colonization and capitalism has lead to the use of nostalgia and love as a tool for profit. They are using Zorro's name, but transforming it and forcing it to be the opposite of what it was intended to be ("parts of him"). The allusion to Zorro may also be a way to tie in themes of identity, as Zorro had to put on the facade of being someone else (a double identity, which plays into motifs/imagery seen in episodes such as Saved Copy and Mixed Signals). It could also be building on the mimicry and birth/creation/transformation as birth motifs, as Zorro has inspired the creation of many other beloved modern-day characters.

Again, balance is brought up in the statement "all participants in closed beta expected to be removed from balance sheet by Q2", which is a rather business-like way to suggest they are disposing of Zorrotrade participants. This builds upon the motif of language/speech as a tool used by capitalism to make profit, even at the cost of people. Geoffrey's role as the character who checks on the status of others is introduced here, as they ask about the status of Zorrotrade's programmer, who is revealed to have died due to the app (Colin reference). As some others have been discussing, the name "Elric" could be alluding to Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyway, REDACTED is introduced as a parallel and contrast to Geoffrey through their act of asking about profit, rather than people. Again, Aina shares their knowledge. Their connection to the eye and water (knowledge) is really pushed here.

Iris then provides an update on Booth, almost certainly referring to the one in Outside the Box, further pushing the idea that the force(s) Iris represents embrace using technology as a tool. Mark, REDACTED and Iris then raise issues with the Booth, including concerns from the project leads Bailey (a name meaning "home" or “settlement") and Chavez (meaning "keys"). The concerns that Iris reads out are dismissed after they read out only two of them, suggesting that there may be some tension between the other forces and Iris. Zach gives the next update, breaking the previous pattern of Iris being the one giving the updates. Not sure exactly what this could represent. After REDACTED asks about the update, Zach explains that the reason for the drop in investments is due to the death of Liebowitz (meaning son of, heart) aka "Teeth" (connecting consumption to love and legacy -> labelling the heart and child as "Teeth"). The death of the heart has to be another reference to 200. The other loss of investments was due to Meers (meaning lake, sea or boundary between two things -> water aka knowledge as a boundary) aka "Inside Out" (connection to The Stranger if we are discussing the old entities still, as well as literally the mind and organs outside of the body -> brings about imagery of water in plants vs in the sea; also reminds me of alienation, something misplaced/placed somewhere it seems like it does not belong, what is inside out?) renouncing Elric Capital investment. This conveys the forced isolation and separation between forces due to capitalism, colonization and urbanization (maybe, there is probably a better explanation). REDACTED then asks to view the video message sent by Meers, overruling Zach, and this obviously goes wrong. Again, this is an example of forms of nature (water) using technology as a tool, this time as a weapon. There is an emphasis on smell here, as is seen in several episodes, including Putting Down Roots (the smell of jasmine flowers -> connection to nostalgia and consumption). Also, janitors are once again brought in here, as they were in episode 30 and several others, representing the people, beings and forces that are forced to clean up the mess that the other characters created (Very Georgie, Melanie and Basira coded). Mark's motion to get revenge on Meers is seconded by Aina but gets defeated, establishing a shared sense of bloodthirstiness between Aina (smaller, contained water, the lover of green, and the eye) and Mark (the most connected to alchemy, ambition to mimic/copy the powerful forces).

Onto the actual meeting. Notably, the meeting with Adam is stated to be in-person, suggesting a reluctance from Adam to use technology. Also, just going to mention the use of the term "seed funding" here, as it builds upon the plant (especially young, childlike -> like Adam in many ways) motif. The vote between characters where REDACTED motions to allow the presentation and Aina seconds develops Aina's allied relationship with REDACTED in their desire for new information to gain more power (profits). The vote ends up being five to two, with Geoffrey and Zach likely being the ones to vote against it (see: their previous reluctance towards technology). Once again, technology is depended upon through the presence of A/V equipment. Interestingly, Mark is the one to make the first observation that the figure giving the presentation is not the doctor -> a mimic can recognize a mimic? Aina, ever a representation of the eye, backs this observation with the explanation that they looked nothing like the doctor. REDACTED is the one to point out why the presenter looked off, conveying their unique perspective (very soul vs body vs mind, with each character focusing slightly different parts). After all of this, Adam's statement that they only took the parts "necessary to gain admittance", foreshadows the fact that they are the being who lured Harriet Winstead in using Arthur's voice in episode one. However, this raises the question, what parts besides the skin were necessary? Can a person become another if they simply consume or take enough parts of them (what makes something human or a unique individual). The doctor's death is then framed as unimportant due to a lack of a formal relationship with Elric Capital, again this is probably another critique of how capitalism has affected relationships (transactional as the only encouraged/respected form).

Finally, we are going to address the name "Adam". So, I feel like I don't need to explain this but here we are. I am not religious, so if I get this wrong please tell me. According to the Bible, Adam is the first human as well as the first human aware of God while also being the person who led to the creation of all other humans. This places Adam in both the child and parent position, which plays into the motif of old vs new, child vs parent, making Adam a kind of exception by being both while also acting as a being continuing the cycle. Probably not by chance, Adam means "earth" or "soil", making him both birthed from the dirt then eventually becoming the dirt that will birth many more beings. The cycle of life and death, with death simply being a transformation (or transformation being referred to as both a death and birth) is a huge motif in protocol. Having Adam, a being that was created to mimic humanity and affection through consumption for a profit name themself after such a being as Adam conveys his want to be part of this cycle of transformation and rebirth (perhaps this is the actual philosopher's stone, a form of immortality that newer forces like Adam hope to gain). Right, so lets do a quick analysis of the other names Adam gives.

Robert Blanc: Robert means glory-bright/godlike-bright (light motif and a desire for power, godliness) and Blanc is a name of French origin meaning white (white in alchemy meaning purification and rebirth)

Michael Egan: (Wow finally a straight-up Michael) Michael, once again, means "who is like God" or "gift from God" (mimicking/copying motif/theme) and Egan means "little fire", "bright-eyed one" or "son of fire", once again tying them to the motifs of fire, light and creation.

Arthur Winstead: (Hey, we know this guy! Ep 1) Arthur means bear/bear-man or eagle, expanding on the theme of the line between humanity and other forms of being. It could also be a reference to King Arthur and Adam's desire for power. Winstead means a friendly place, conveying Adam's want to be seen as capable of love and worth loving (to do this, he believes he must become/appear to be human, even taking it to the point of trying to become people who were already loved -> created to make profit by doing this, the commodification of love and desire, once it becomes focused on over profit it is no longer profitable and it is de-funded).

Alistair Brown: Alistair means "the one who repels man" and Brown ties this name to soil/earth, contrasting Blanc while also tying back to the name Adam

Richard Kent is then revealed to have been overseeing the investment. Richard means strong ruler and Kent means "born of fire" or refers to a coastal district, linking them to the motif of water (specifically, a settlement near water) while also connecting them to the symbols of fire and children. Richard died in Q3 2022, one year before Meers (another being tied to water) was reported to have renounced Elric Capital.

REDACTED understands Adam's given reason for killing the doctor, as it seemed practical and logic, framing them as a being focused on such things (ties to capitalism's dehumanizing way of seeing everything as tools, finding ways to make everything useful and killing/destroying it if not, finding a way to make that death/destruction profitable). This commentary is expanded upon through Adam's answer to Aina's question as to what his purpose was, saying that he had been created with funds from Elric Capital, so they must have a purpose for him. The theme of birth/creation is explored here, showing how Adam was birthed from capitalism and desire for profit and now feels like he must serve those same forces in order to live with a "purpose" after his creator died. His name, Adam, frames his creator as God in his eyes, literally making God a being funded by capitalism and motivated by profit. In response, REDACTED asks Adam what purpose his creator gave him, and when Adam gives him the answer: to mimic people's loved ones as a "grief redirection strategy" (and to help Elric Capital profit), REDACTED states that funding for Adam was withdrawn due to his failure to comfort clients. Adam's function, to mimic client's loved ones in "physicality and manner", explores how capitalism (and the supernatural forces at play in protocol) use identity to profit by commodifying and monetizing love and affection while only providing a facade of love that people are able to see beyond (the horror of the "love" of capitalism). The acknowledgement of Adam's failure to create profit angers him and he begins to talk about how he truly did feel deep love for his clients, expressing that although he has only ever been able to cause fear, he feels love. Geoffrey suggests that Adam only feels love for his clients because he eats their loved ones, causing Adam to become even more upset. As is suggested through Adam's choice of names, he desires to be seen as a being who is able to be loved and feel love for others, but this is seen as something he cannot really do because the love he feels is only an echo of the love those he has consumed felt. This plays into themes of colonization and dehumanization, questioning how love can be present in a capitalist society so focused on hyperindividualism and profit. Essentially, Adam was an experiment which originally asked whether or not love could be profitable and ended up asking what love truly means under capitalism and colonialism (when does mimicry become the real thing, if ever?).

Adam's claim that he has spent most of his life locked in the doctor's basement definitely reminds me a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as Frankenstein and his monster. I don't know if that was purposeful, but it definitely plays into the double identity theme if so. Also, the doctor drinking may be a way to connect addiction to the motif of water/knowledge, with the alcohol being used as a way to try to forget the knowledge of his creation. In the end, the doctor is described as being "harvested", bringing the plant motif into things (harvesting tends to be more associated with farms or gardens rather than the term “foraging”, used more for forests and less urbanized areas. Also, this compared Adam to the results of a harvest, making the doctor a plant and Adam a tool for harvesting -> a tool for profit used to consume his own creator, the cycle of consumption connected to the parent-child relationship (here comes colonialism again).

When Adam asks why he was only made to suffer (suffering compared to love under capitalism and colonialism), REDACTED responds by telling him to make his own investment proposal. Again this plays with identity and how the force REDACTED represents views it through the lens of profit and capitalism, believing that the best way for Adam to find a new purpose is by pitching himself as profitable in his own words rather than the words of his creator. Having been raised under such a mindset, Adam agrees and proposes that he continue to research if there is a way for Adam to "effectively inhabit the position and affections of the deceased individual", however this is dismissed by Geoffrey and Aina due to its lack of profitability and possible legal issues. This shows the connections between love, desire and profit and how they both conflict with one another while also feeding into each other under the influence of the forces present at the meeting. Adam wants to love his clients but is stuck in the colonial/consumptive mindset he was created with, but this makes him less profitable and useless to the other forces that he was taught to see as godly and who he depends upon to fund his search for love. In this same moment, Iris asks what the "prospects for growth" would be, and this is yet another pun comparing the growth of plants to profit (the transformation of plants under capitalism/colonization and urbanization).

REDACTED motions to fund Adam's project and Zach seconds it, but the rest of the participants vote against it. The action of continuing to fund Adam's research while it has proven to be unprofitable contrasts REDACTED's previous actions, implying that this may have been the other REDACTED figure. It also reflects Zach's role as a free man, as his alignment with rocks and religion would suggest that he might side with Geoffrey, but he did not.

Finally, we are at the end. Geoffrey is killed by Adam from blood loss and stomach trauma, reflecting Adam's contempt towards his focus on profit and consumption. The broken necks of the security staff literally separate their minds from their bodies, and the internal hemorrhaging explores the motif of blood (often used to represent identity and knowledge of the self, literally what people live for -> ex. Ink5oul's blood has been compared to ink) by contrasting Geoffrey's loss of blood. Adam's injuries are not specified, instead they are labelled as "assorted", reflecting Adam's being in that he was made up of the many people which he had consumed (who died of many unspecified causes). Also, it feels quite uncaring/dismissive towards Adam's death while also withholding information. Iris is the one to suggest they wait to find a replacement for Geoffrey and the motion passes unanimously, reflecting a reluctance to replace forces with new ones ("it's different when you know them", as they say). Also, by killing Geoffrey that kind of suggests that they killed God/an older god-like figure, which definitely feeds into the child/creation vs parent/creator motif as well as desire (especially for power/the immortality of certain forces through cycles of transformation).

In conclusion, I am so sorry, this turned into a whole paper. It isn't even late, I don't have that excuse. If you read this, I am sorry and thank you. I probably missed a lot and got some things wrong, so please let me know what you think!

[CLICK]

Archivist

Statement of Charlie Anderson, and his unwilling involvement in the North Berwick Parade Massacre of 1998. Original statement given February 13th, 2000. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. 

Statement begins. 

Archivist (Statement)

I swear to you all, I did not know that this would happen. If you do take this to the police, please let them know that. I didn’t want any of this to happen, really. I thought that the parade was going to be like any other. I would play my music, there’d be cheering, maybe a few disruptions from the drunk spectators, but other than that, not eventful! If I knew what would have happened, do you really think I’d do that? Who am I kidding, your institute has no clue who I am. All you see is a guy that got mixed up in the wrong crowd, at the wrong time, with the wrong thing. I’m here to just give this to you, alongside my story, and be on my way. I’ve read the forums that became popular last year. I’ve heard stories about the leaks that got out to the public. There were so many confessions in there, and there were no arrests, nothing. The police avoid you guys, so maybe, just maybe, I can say this without fearing for my life. Thank you for not caring, I guess.

I lived in North Berwick for a few years, in the 90s. I had to get away from the constant strain of Edinburgh. There’s too much going on in that city, and Berwick wasn’t too far. I could easily go back into the city at any time I’d want, and in case I had any gigs. It was less than an hour away, which meant that Berwick was the best place for me. Even better, there are yearly festivals done in North Berwick. Well, there were yearly festivals. Back then, they had often been Scottish nationalists travelling through. Edinburgh’s a big place, but the Lothian region gets enough crowds, and funds. Makes for a good place to prepare for the big stage. I played in the marching bands they’d have, or just whatever it was. I’d annoy the hell out of my neighbours when I was younger, because I played the drums. At first, I wanted to just be a rockstar, getting a bunch of ladies to follow me and whoever else was in my band whilst we toured Britain. Of course, that was just a dream, and I had to settle for parades and local gigs. It was just the four of us. Bryan, our bassist, who moved to Ireland long before this story, and our old singer, Chaya. Great singer, until she had to have a couple surgeries to fix something wrong with her lungs - still feel bad about losing contact with her. There was the lead guitarist too, Karl Myers. Total punk. Loved the 80s aesthetic, even a decade and a bit later. Truth be told, I barely got on well with him, but he was the only one who stayed in Edinburgh, and eventually came out to North Berwick once I settled in. The only guy I’ve ever met who’s rocked a mohawk for well over a decade. He was the most arrogant asshole I’ve ever met, and a short one at that too. Always eager to prove himself, prove himself to not be a coward, or to back down upon the threat of the police, or a boxer, or men that you should not mess with. 

Karl had a soft spot though. Antiques. He was obsessed with strange, old, bizarre things. Things that I could never understand. Karl Myers, all things considered, should not have been into those things. He hated ‘old-timers’, and could not stand the idea of delicacy. Hell, he was a wannabe rockstar, so why did he have this strange hobby? I asked him, time and time again, but Karl would always just interrupt my questions with another artefact that he was interested in. Once he finally got kicked out of his folk’s place, his flat was filled with random items that he took interest in. Old fencing equipment, old banners from the French Revolution, and more. Karl didn’t have any licenses for this, which did make me fear for my safety when I saw that he had a bayonet stuffed in his bedside drawer. Maybe he was just paranoid about intruders, or angry neighbours. Just anything that’d be against him, I suppose. I was planning on ditching him at some point, and just hoping he’d move on. My dreams of being a rockstar were always dreams, to be honest. Like I said, I’d play in marches and festivals in order to live out the thought of being a famous performer. After that, I’d travel to as many performances as I could, and maybe Karl would just leave me alone after that. My first one was at home, which meant that I wouldn’t need to travel or prepare in a place I wasn’t familiar with. It should have been the easiest gig of my life. Go in, play the snare drum for half an hour, and then leave. I’ve had jam sessions with my old pals that were more stressful than that. The day before, however, Karl asked me to join him for one of his antique deals.

I should have been more suspicious of how Karl got all of the items he did. He was, to my knowledge, unemployed, and wasn’t buying these items legally. There’d be no way that he could steal them. A mohawk-rocking guy with a busted nose doesn’t blend into crowds too well. Karl managed to convince me by saying that he’d owe me a ‘real good favour’, which I shamefully was bought by. He told me to meet him by the harbour, which was just a five minute walk from my home. Nobody else was around, saying how it was close to midnight. That was when I understood how Karl got a hold of all of that crap of his. Nighttime trades with some less-legal folks that didn’t want to be seen by the cops. Makes sense, in the end. What kind of respectable antiques dealer would want to give some worthwhile antique to a guy like Karl Myers? He was as reckless as he was rude. Once he arrived, about half an hour later, he decided to finally tell me what I was meant to do there. Apparently, he saw me as a strong man. I was just bigger than him. He was small, frail, and rather slow, whilst I had a slight bit of muscle on me. I figured that he’d need protection, and wondered why he’d need it now, of all times, saying how his home was littered with random things that obviously came from this line of business. I told him, when we met up, that I’d only be there for half an hour, and then I’d go back home to get some well-needed sleep for tomorrow. He agreed to it, eventually, and then led the way.

I was suspicious, obviously. Not of Karl, no. If he wanted to do something bad, he would not lie about it. He would not be able to contain his excitement over what he’d be up to. This was different, he trusted me with something as criminal as this. We eventually came to a more discreet part of the harbour, where a ship had ported the day before. Nobody really knew anything about it, and they were gone the next day. Karl must’ve been a regular, I thought. They were gone just as suddenly as they arrived. We stood far from the water, with a large man, followed by his supposed crew, pacing to us in order to welcome us. Karl told me that his name was Mikaele Salesa, who apparently enjoyed trading away these stupidly expensive things for relatively cheap prices. He had his men carry out these large crates, which were filled with what appeared to be random items. Karl was quick to look at the ones that seemed similar to his collection, the ones that came from battle or conflict. He ended up finding a flintlock pistol, which, according to Salesa, had dated back to the 18th century in South Asia. He investigated each item with a magnifying glass, one which was just as out of place as the items he had with him. Their exchange continued, a lot of Salesa’s guys giving weird looks to me. It freaked me out, they all seemed freaky, or freaked out, or a little bit of both. Karl took ages. I’ve never seen him as invested as he was, during that deal. He found dozens of items that ‘spoke to his soul’, until he had settled on the damn pistol that he had picked out from the start. He really was getting on my nerves, then. 

I told him, once he came looking near the boxes by me, that I was going to be leaving soon. I didn’t like any of it, this was off. Of course, I didn’t say that bit out loud. I simply told him that it was already late, and that I had my marching band gig the next day. That certainly caught Salesa’s attention, which annoyed me some more. That creep was listening in to our conversations. He asked me, ‘what do you play?’, which I stupidly answered. To my somewhat luck, there had been a snare drum, resting in a crate beside him. I wasn’t interested in some old drum that was from whatever century, fetching for a price that was more than my rent. I told him no, and that I should be leaving soon. Karl told me to stay, as did Salesa. I fear that they had planned this, somehow. For me to play the drums. Salesa reached for me, and dragged me off to make his deal. £5, the exact amount of cash in my pocket, for his drum. He told me that I was destined to have it, and that it’ll really help me out with my parade tomorrow. I never told him that. I never told Salesa that I’d be up to it. These people were super rough, I knew that if I was gonna get out of there, I’d need to just take it. So I did. I took it. 

With that, Karl finally let us get out of there, and I headed straight home. I didn’t even bother getting the special protections with the drum. It was sold to me for a fiver, it was essentially garbage. I’d be surprised if it’d hold out for tomorrow’s parade. That would’ve been the best time to experiment with it. Before I split from Karl, that night, I asked if he was going to be going to the parade. It wasn’t really his thing, but there was not much else to do in town, other than see the celebrations. He turned up to other ones, before then, but he was quick to decline. Apparently, he had rather busy matters to attend to. The jobless, anti-social night owl had pressing matters to attend to at 1pm on a friday afternoon, in June. Definitely. 

That night, I got enough sleep so that I wouldn’t be exhausted at the parade, but decided to skip out on a warmup. It was an easy piece that I knew off by heart. It was Scotland the Brave, obviously. Every strike was memorised, with there being no room for mistakes in my performance. When it got to the actual march, there were hundreds of onlookers, mainly older people as the parade was very much a traditional thing. I suppose it’d be better that way, I wouldn’t want to think of how much worse I’d be, if a kid got caught in the crossfire. 

Every strike from my drum was loud. Really loud. Something of this quality could not have been just a fiver. I thought that Salesa sold me the wrong drum, as it did seem too good. The quality of the snare was much better than the others I had. It had no issues at all, no issues with quality or tension. It sounded great as well. Although, with every strike, something happened in that parade. At first I thought it was a sharp wind, whistling in the air. Or a party popper, or a confetti cannon. Something that belonged at a simple parade. It wasn’t. I wish it was. Each strike had caused another ‘pop’. Pop, pop, pop. It was only a minute into the parade that the chaos had ensued. Nobody took notice at first, bodies just began to fall, one after another. 

It was the drum. Every time I struck the drum, I felt the weight of murder. It was indiscriminate. With each strike from my sticks, a bullet had appeared, somehow, and killed a man. Every strike. Every single one. It killed somebody, a clean shot going through their chest before the bullet would simply disappear. It targeted onlookers, fellow musicians, and even a local celebrity. The shots were followed by screams of agony and wails of terror, and it had taken me a minute to catch on. A minute of bloodshed that could have stopped if I didn’t give in to Karl Myers and Mikaele Salesa’s pressure, and took the damn drum. Blood trickled down the pavement and stained my shoes. They’re still stained today. 156 people died that day, one of the worst shootings, ever. Nobody knows who caused it, except me. I did. I saw too many people bleed on that street, even if they were dead before they hit the cobble. What truly terrified me, though, is that every time I looked at somebody, during that performance, they were among the deceased. I saw them, and I picked them. I was the executioner for dozens, dozens of innocent people that just wanted to enjoy a day of celebration. They were killed, butchered, and left to die on the street. 

Everyone ran, as did I. I could not stand there, alone, as I’d draw suspicion. I’m not stupid, I had to get back home, and destroy the drum. I wasn’t delusional, I struck the drum twice when I got home, and the bullet holes were still in the wall by the time I moved out of my flat. They happened. They definitely happened. There wasn’t a mysterious shooter, or terrorist attack in a village. I caused it, with a bloody drum, of all things. That’s when I began to piece it together. Did Karl Myers skip out on the parade because he knew that the drum was capable of? Capable of magic? No, magic isn’t real, this is just different. Wrong, it shouldn’t exist, and it did. It’s definitely beyond me, that’s for sure. Karl Myers wanted this to happen, I think. So I visited him. With the drum. It was easy for me to get into his home, he kept a spare key underneath his doormat, as he was more reckless with his belongings than he was with others. Once I got in, I simply presented the drum to him, and asked him if he knew. I didn’t plan on bringing my sticks with me, but after causing such an awful thing to happen, I feel like I had no choice. Or, I just took it with me without thinking. Whichever one it was, it doesn’t matter. It was the right thing to bring it. 

I hadn’t seen Karl’s bedroom in weeks, but it was littered with his collection of antiques, all from wartime. Banners littered his walls, where his punk posters were once taped on. His old action figures were discarded, with personal items of trench soldiers taking their place. Old photographs, pocket watches, and unlit cigarettes lined his desks. It was awful, it was as if some old loonie from back then had begun to bunk with him. It was just him, though. Karl Myers was a changed man. 

He told me he had no clue, but couldn’t keep a look of fascination off of his face, looking at my drum. He wanted it. He wanted it in his collection of Salesa’s oddities, and maybe, just maybe, all of those other things were haunted as well. I knew he wanted it, I could tell from his eyes fidgeting to his drawer. The one with the bayonet. Dozens dead, and he wanted to keep a hold of it? No. I would never give it to him. He would probably use it for fun, or to make sure nobody ripped him off ever again. So, I did what I had to do. 

I played the drums. As loudly as I could, until the noise was slowly drowned out by the bangs from the wall, Karl’s neighbours yelled at him to stop playing his music. I let go of my sticks. Karl was left on his bed, filled with bullet holes. The banging continued, which meant I could leave without anyone really noticing. Made sure that there was no trace of me, too. I left, and made sure that nothing could bring me back to that side of North Berwick. 

I’m back in Edinburgh now. This city is much safer, I don’t feel like I will be hurt at any point by what I’ve done before. Plenty of people moved out from Berwick, after that, anyways. I didn’t seem suspicious, and it was simply for the best. Keep the damn drum, I don’t want to be tempted by it, again. You guys would know what to do with it, I reckon. 

At least now I’m at peace. Dozens, gone. Karl Myers, a dead man, and me. I’m still here. Still looking for Salesa, to give him a taste of his own damn medicine. Still kicking. Now, is that all you guys need? 

Archivist

Statement ends. 

This doesn’t seem like the right outcome for this case. The North Berwick massacre, one of the only shootings that has happened in Britain for decades, was caused by the ignorance of one Charlie Anderson, and the weird hobby of Karl Myers. 

Speaking of Karl Myers, Martin was able to find out about his disappearance. After not being seen for two weeks, police had entered Karl Myers’ flat to discover a bloodsoaked bed, filled with bullet holes, and no sight of Myers himself. It was ruled as a murder, but the case was closed a few months later due to a lack of evidence. It didn’t help that his home was subject to multiple break ins during the investigation, where many of the undocumented artefacts that had been left across his house had ended up being stolen. 

Those artefacts, all of them being from Salesa, I worry that whoever Salesa was involved with, any other buyers, or… sources of acquisition, would have found Myers house to be a perfect place to reclaim what was left. 

Thankfully, Anderson had decided to bring that snare drum with him. It still sits in artefact storage, to this day. Nobody else will ever get to strike that drum, even if it does have nothing to do with this massacre. For all we know, Anderson may have just killed Myers with an actual gun. 

Anderson refused a follow-up interview when emailed by Sasha, weeks later. He has refused to answer our emails since. I hope he gave up on his hunt for Mikaele Salesa. He seemed like he was out of his depth, if he gave up his fancy drum. 

End recording.