The Lantern

***The Lantern*** is a short film by J.P. Leck and is the sixth installment (thirteenth, chronologically) in his Endless Elsewhere multimedia meta-narrative. It is the second Endless Elsewhere short film. It was screened at the Irving Theater for the Shocktober in Irvington event on October 16, 2015, then loaded to YouTube the following day.

## Synopsis

A young man in a motel bathroom recounts a strange tale surrounding his discovery of a strange artifact to a call-in radio show about the paranormal.

### Post-Credits

A painting of a space scene and a glowing green orb is rolled up and stolen by a pair of gloved hands.

## Characters

* **Ryan Tolliver** - a groundskeeper who, upon discovering a mysterious machine in a disturbed grave, becomes obsessed with the spectre of death it allows him to see following him.
	+ *Ryan Tolliver is played by **Tucker**.*
* **Ray Kadera** - the host of the radio show, *Circle City Supernatural*.
	+ *Ray Kadera is voiced by **Timothy Renshaw**.*
* **The Drowned Friend** - a friend of Ryan's who had drowned in Old Scratch Creek.
	+ *The Drowned friend is played by **Samuel Dumas**.*
* **The Show Producer** - the producer of *Circle City Supernatural*.
	+ *The Show Producer is voiced by **Lindsay Leck**.*

### Characters Referenced

* **Det. Alex Heaney** - referenced as the chief investigator of the grave robberies in the *Circle City Chronicle* article.
* **Kaitlin Pollydore** - seen as the author of the newspaper article hanging in Ryan's bathroom on the subject of the grave robberies.
* **Dr. Frederick Hardesty** - seen and mentioned in the online article in *The Vigilante* Ryan uses while researching the Lantern.
* **Brian Pollydore** - seen as the author of the online article on Fredrick Hardesty Ryan seeks out while researching the Lantern.

## Locations

* **Hotel 66** - the hotel in Circle City, IN from which Ryan calls in to *Circle City Supernatural.*
* **Circle City Cemetery** - the cemetery at which Ryan Tolliver works as a groundskeeper.

## Artifacts

* **The Lantern** - discovered by Ryan Tolliver in the disinterred grave of its creator, this device can be used to see through the veil into the spiritual realms.

## References

*The Lantern* contains references to the following Endless Elsewhere tales:

* *The Novelty*
	+ A copy of the same issue of the *Circle City Chronicle* on the Novelty's doorstep hangs on the wall in Ryan's hotel bathroom.
	+ It is revealed that Ryan was the groundskeeper at the same cemetery where the grave robberies took place, which is also where the Novelty meets with the Stranger.
	+ The photo in the Lantern is the same one that the Novelty studies while searching the Benton House.

In turn, *The Lantern* is referenced in the following Endless Elsewhere stories:

* "The Music Box"
	+ Dr. Hardesty mentions the Lantern while in conversation with Oliver Dynes.
* "The Thin Place"
	+ Dr. Hardesty gives the Lantern its test run and takes the spectral photograph that Ryan finds inside the Lantern.
* "The Welievers"
	+ Dr. Hardesty is referenced as a former patient of the Asylum for Ascendant Alleviation, where the True Welievers are ghost hunting.
* "The Pollydores"
	+ Articles written by both Brian and Kaitlin Pollydore are seen in this film.
* "The Red Mass"
	+ Violet mentions having heard Ryan's appearance on *Circle City Supernatural.*
	+ Ryan and Violet use the Lantern to break up a blood cult ritual.
* *The Roman*
	+ Det. Alex Heaney is referenced as the lead detective on the grave robberies case in the newspaper article hanging on Ryan's bathroom wall.
* *The Should-Not-Be*
	+ Dr. Hardesty and his companion, Monty, break into Ryan Tolliver's house to find the Lantern.
	+ Ryan Tolliver agrees to help Hardesty find the Music Box in exchange for his help repairing the Lantern.
* "The Invoked"
	+ The Lantern, now fully repaired, is used to provide our heroes with vital information into the master plan of the demonic masterminds they are facing.
* *The Devil Doll*
	+ The Lantern is seen in *The Devil Doll* under lock and key and in the possession of Keith Sorrels and The Unclosing Eye Detective Agency.
	+ The painting stolen in the post-credits sequence is seen in the room in the curiosity shop where the devil doll is captured.
* "The Colonnades"
	+ The angelic figure who saved Ryan Tolliver from the cloaked spectre appears again to restore his memories with the aid of Hardesty's Lantern.