MAG 17: The Boneturner's Tale

This article is about the episode, you may be looking for the artefact.
Statement of Sebastian Adekoya, regarding a new acquisition at Chiswick Library.
==Statement==
Sebastian Adekoya was a true bibliophile and started work in Chiswick Library in 1995.
In September 1996, he found himself checking in a book that was listed in the library system as Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh but it was a thick black paperback titled The Boneturner's Tale in a white serif font with no obvious author. The other librarian, Ruth Weaver, had no recollection of it or how it had come to be in the collection - it had a library bookplate and date stamps going back many years. Sebastian did a cursory search into the man who had returned it, one Michael Crew, but found nothing amiss other than 3 weeks prior, he had checked out 4 other books, which he returned at the same time as this one.
It was at this point that Jared Hopworth showed up. He was a childhood friend and neighbour but had become something of a crook when Sebastian went to university, Sebastian theorises that Jared may have saw his leaving to university as some sort of betrayal. 
At this point in the recording, Sims was interrupted by Elias Bouchard, saying that Miss Herne had lodged a complaint. Sims gets annoyed, suggesting she had wasted his time and that Rosie didn't keep her equipment in good condition, which forced him to do the recording. Elias warns him not to annoy anyone connected to the Lukas family as they are patrons of the Institute. He also asks where Martin is, Sims says he's ill with stomach problems.
Jared started harassing Sebastian. His appearance at the library led to some petty torment before he abruptly left, taking The Boneturner's Tale with him. Sebastian noted something of a fearful look about his eyes.
That evening, as he was returning home, Sebastian found a pet rat with a strangely flat back and awkward neck half-crawling down the street. This was seen in the orange glow of the streetlamp outside the Hopworth home.
In late October, Sebastian had heard nothing more from Jared which was slightly concerning until the day that Jared's mother came to the library. Her arm was in a sling and she was wearing a bulky coat as she threw The Boneturner's Tale at him, telling him to stay away from Jared and keep his books to himself. Sebastian was careful not to touch the book when putting it away, somewhat disconcerted by the angle her arm had appeared to be at.
That night Sebastian wasn't able to sleep for worry over the book. He returned to the library at 2am, only to find all the books on the cart surrounding The Boneturner's Tale were bleeding. Carefully and with gloves on, Sebastian started leafing through the book. It told a story with unsettling details that appeared to describe some of the pilgrims from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Desperate for more details as to how it ended up here, Sebastian peeled back the library's lending label, finding a plaque from a library he assumed was Scandinavian.
Before he could read further, the sound of breaking glass brought a tall, cloaked stranger into the library, who demanded the book in a voice rather like Jared's. He had long pointed fingers and looked longer, more angular, than the Jared he knew. Sebastian punched him and noted that he felt like he was being drawn into Jared's chest by his sharp ribs. Screaming, he dropped the book at which Jared released him, grabbed the book and fled, with Sebastian noting a marked increase in the number of limbs that Jared now had. The police showed up shortly after, alerted by his screams, and Sebastian never saw Jared or the book again.
== Post-Statement ==
This is the second book from the Library of Jurgen Leitner that has turned up. Jonathan says that he'll talk to Elias to see what they could do about it. Tim and Sasha found police reports relating to Jared Hopworth and the break-in, though he was never found. The book appears to have vanished as well. Martin had a look for Sebastian, who was apparently killed in a hit-and-run on 17th April 2006 and although no blunt force trauma was recorded, the body had been found in a rather twisted pose.
==Continuity==
* The second mention of occult books from the Library of Jurgen Leitner.
* Michael Crew, who returned the book to Chiswick Library, was previously mentioned in MAG 4: Page Turner as Dominic Swain's childhood friend who was struck by lightning.
*Related Entity: The Flesh
*Jared Hopworth shows up in future statements, MAG 49: The Butcher’s Window and MAG 90: Body Builder. He shows up in person during MAG 131: Flesh and MAG 171: The Gardener.
*Martin is not present in this episode because he is imprisoned in his apartment by Jane Prentiss, as revealed in MAG 22: Colony.
Category:Leitner
Category:The Magnus Archives Episodes