MAG 98: Lights Out

Statement of Doctor Algernon Moss regarding The Sandman.
==Pre-Statement==
Martin is exhausted from recording statements, but Elias said that he had to continue as Jonathan was not able to do them. Tim worries that the Archives are evil, and that working for it and reading statements makes them evil. Tim tried to talk to him, but John reached for a tape recorder which enraged Tim. Martin suspects that John thinks that distancing himself from his colleagues will keep them safe.
== Statement ==
Dr Algernon Moss believes that Maxwell Rayner is in control of some sort of witchcraft which robbed Algernon of his sight. He explains that Maxwell is an antiquities dealer and is involved in the social circles in Cambridge. He is keenly interested in the lost expedition of John Franklin, keen to start his own expedition to find out what happened to the former. He is led around by a young Arabian boy, although Algernon does not believe he is required.
At an auction, Algernon outbid Maxwell for an oilskin packet of documents, supposedly from John Franklin's lost ship, the HMS Terror. Afterwards, Maxwell sharply demanded access to the documents, to which Algernon refused. Maxwell said to him "Pray the Sandman only brings you sleep" which unsettled Algie.
Algie's father was an extremely strict man who scared his son. Algernon was sent to board at Repton School in Manchester, which he hated for being so outdated.
At his boarding school he was friendly with George Denman who had tattooed 'Fly 1835' on his arm, after his nickname from the masters of the school. One evening, George showed Algernon a book he received on holiday: 'Die Nachtstücke', which contained many ghoulish stories. The first story was 'Der Sandmann,' which portrayed him as a tall, thin man:"He comes to children who don't go to bed, and throws his sand all into their eyes, and they start to bleed. He takes those fallen eyes up in his bag and carries them up into the crescent moon, to his nest, where his own children feast upon them. They have crooked beaks, like owls, all the better to pick the eyes of naughty human children."This still unsettles Algernon.
Because of this, Algernon was terrified of The Sandman and he fled Maxwell. That night, the Sandman came to visit Algernon. Black sand slid out of his mouth, and wherever it touched, it warped the world around it until nothing was left. The darkness surrounding him was oppressive and pressed against him everywhere except his eyes. Algernon reached forward into the Sandman's pouch, took some sand, and rubbed it into his own eyes. This managed to get him out of the Sandman's pouch, albeit at the cost of his sight.
Algernon's statement ends with him asking how he could enact revenge.
== Post-Statement ==
Martin is wiped out after recording the statement. He notes that John has mentioned Maxwell Rayner in other statements, although he cannot remember where.
Melanie looks in, asking where Elias is. She invites Martin for a drink with her and Basira, saying that she will join them after she has finished some business.
Melanie presents Elias with a black coffee. Elias asks her to drink it, revealing that he knows that she poisoned it. He explains that he does not know everything, and says that he is trying to help his colleagues, not harm them. Elias explains that this is her first warning, and he will have to escalate things if she tries to kill him again.
==Continuity==
Maxwell Rayner was previously mentioned in mag 9, mag 52, mag 72, mag 73.
*Related Entity: The Dark
Category:The Magnus Archives Episodes