Melusine

## Plot

Kennedy Fisher arrives at the graveyard that Alice called her about. She notes that unlike the rest of Innsmouth, it is abandoned and overgrown. Unable to see Alice, she searches the grounds and, when she cannot be found, enters the adjoining, and similarly abandoned, church. Still with no sign of Alice she spots an open door that leads to the crypt. A man inside the crypt hears Kennedy's narration and comes out to greet her. He jovially introduces himself as local historian Zadok Allen, but Kennedy is terrified of him as he looks identical to Dr. Allen.

On the ghost plane, now rerouted by Matthew Heawood from London to Paris, Melody Cartwright attempts to translate the French letters they discovered in the cult's apartment in Mosul. Despite the difficult handwriting she is able to identify that they were addressed to the bandaged man. To Matt's disbelief, Melody identifies him from the letters as Dr. Allen, whom Matt believed to be dead. Melody says that, two days ago, Dr. Allen made an appointment with Aramis Levesque, the owner of The Levesque Institute of Paranormal and Parapsychological Research. From what Melody can discern, the two men are interested in a mystery concerning a village north of Paris. Allen is also asking Aramis about a notebook the latter has that he thinks can help him find someone.

Inside the church, Kennedy asks Zadok if he knows a 'George Shepley', but Zadok says that he doesn't. He deduces that he reminds Kennedy of someone she is scared of, which Kennedy does not deny. Kennedy then asks Zadok about Alice, but Zadok says he hasn't seen anyone else here. Suspicious, Kennedy asks Zadok what he was doing in the crypt, and Zadok, affronted that she would accuse him of hurting Alice, leaves in disgust. After he leaves, and with notable reluctance, Kennedy enters the crypt in search of Alice, but only finds rats, and coffins in which Zadok was growing magic mushrooms. Just then Alice arrives, apologising for leaving to go to the bathroom, and Kennedy joins her. Alice takes her outside and shows her the gravestone of Eliza Orne, a distant cousin of Kennedy's who died in 1897. Alice tells Kennedy that the reason she was investigating Innsmouth was because Eliza was the last person to buried in Innsmouth's graveyard. With no other burial sites near the town, this means that, according to all records, no one has died in Innsmouth in over a century. Kennedy agrees with Alice that that is strange but refuses to investigate it. Partly, this is because she believes it can be easily explained by poor record-keeping, but mostly it is because she wants to avoid any more unnatural encounters. She tells Alice she's going to find Zadok and ask what he knows about the Fisher family and then leave. Alice is sympathetic and apologises for accidentally roping her into this. They agree to meet at Alice's rental cottage on the cliffs for dinner after they're done for the day.

Having landed in Paris, Matt and Melody head to the Levesque Institute, located on the Île Saint-Louis. They meet Aramis, who gladly shows them his library. Matt asks Aramis about Dr. Allen's business with him and he tells them that Dr. Allen did not arrive for his appointment. Aramis explains that Dr. Allen was searching for Le Comte de Saint-Germain, a legendary occultist believed to be immortal, and that he believed a journal written by Edward Landsdale would help him deduce his identity. Landsdale's journal describes a ritual performed during the First Battle of the Marne by Landsdale himself, Rudolf Von Sebottendorf, a member of the Tillinghast family, and a man named Obed Marsh, whom Allen believed to be Saint-Germain. Lansdale wrote that the ritual tore through reality and allowed them to see another world that he describes as 'something like Hell.' However, Aramis is sceptical about the journal's trustworthiness as the village the ritual supposedly took place in, a village north of Paris called Melusine, does not exist.

Kennedy knocks on the door of the Innsmouth Historical Society building. She calls for Zadok, and he emerges when he hears her say her name. Whilst clearly under the effects of his mushrooms, Zadok is terrified by the mention of Kennedy's surname. He tells her to leave Innsmouth immediately, and that she'll bring the 'Deep Ones' back. When Kennedy decides to leave and come back when he's sober, he screams at her not to come back and reiterates she'll bring 'them' back before slamming the door shut and retreating inside. Kennedy calls Alice and leaves a message on her voicemail, explaining about Zadok's state, and thanking her for the research copies she's given her. Kennedy adds that she plans to leave on the four o'clock bus and apologises for abandoning their dinner plans, but offers to meet up with her in Providence later. She returns to The Gilman House Hotel and Casey asks her how she enjoyed the view from the cliffs. When Kennedy tells him she hasn't been on the cliffs, Casey is confused as he thought he had seen her there when he went out for lunch. Kennedy asks him to get the bill for her, and Casey asks her how she plans on leaving. When Kennedy expresses her desire to catch the bus, Casey tells her that the bus service isn't running. The governor has locked Massachusetts down due to the spread of COVID-19, and as such the bus to Innsmouth has been suspended for the foreseeable future. As Kennedy tries to go through her options Casey tells her that there's no taxi company, nor car rental, in Innsmouth, but that he's confident they can work something out about the room rate. Despite Casey's offers of help, Kennedy admits to herself that she's not leaving Innsmouth today and heads up to her room to scream to herself.

Matt receives a voicemail from an unusually panicked Dr. Eleanor Peck. She tells him that a man called her, and she needs to talk to him. She tells Matt to get Kennedy out of Innsmouth as they are both in grave danger.

## Cast, Characters, Crew

* Barnaby Kay as Matthew Heawood
* Jana Carpenter as Kennedy Fisher
* Nicola Walker as Dr. Eleanor Peck
* Kyle Soller as Casey
* Karla Crome as Melody Cartwright
* Walles Hamonde as Zadok Allen
* Jennifer Armour as Alice
* Michael Maloney as Aramis Levesque

* Writer & Director: Julian Simpson
* Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
* Sound Designer: David Thomas
* Music: Tim Elsenburg
* Producer: Karen Rose

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode marks Michael Maloney's first appearance in the Pleasant Green Universe.