#everwich lore

[secrets-of-everwich]

11-3 Rin’s Final Statement

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Secrets of Everwich. I’m here with Rin again, to get her full statement of the case.

{Rin}

Hi.

{Callie}

Can you start at the beginning, and tell me everything that happened up until now?

{Rin}

Okay, I guess. Start of the month, Emilia didn’t come into school. We had a chemistry test that day, and I knew something was up, because I’ll be damned if Em’s ever missed a chem test. She loves chemistry. I think I called her? I don’t remember at this point, to be honest. Either way, I remember being really worried because she didn’t really talk to me that much that day.

The next day was my birthday. Ash surprised me by calling me over to his house, I thought they needed help with something, but then Xavier and Em were there too, and they’d set up a surprise party for me. It was nice. But Em didn’t really talk to me, or anyone else. We then went round to this place-

{Callie}

For the record, we are currently in Everwich Manor. Sorry, continue.

{Rin}

Yeah. Everwich Manor. We went round to Everwich Manor, to see the show tour, because… I don’t really know why Ash wanted to bring me to it, to be honest.

[Laughter]

We were in the queue, and Em really didn’t say anything, didn’t look at us. I noted that she was looking pale, and she just kind of shrugged and said- Oh what did she say? Something like ‘It’s nothing’, or something. I dunno, whatever she said it felt different.

X and Ash walked off, so it was just me and Em. I have to say, it was… Kinda awkward. She didn’t say anything, barely responded to me. I was getting really worried to be honest. It was interesting- You know, you’re really good at the tours.

Oh… Thank you! Continue, continue!

{Callie}

{Rin}

We got to the end of the tour, and we stood around looking for Ash and X, and Ash appeared from somewhere else. I knew something was up. He’s my best friend, I’ve known them since we were kids, I know when something’s up. But he shrugged, and X appeared, and we left to go back to Ash’s place. Well, just me and Ash. Em just kind of disappeared, and X said he had to do a tour.

The next week or so- Few weeks? I don’t remember at this point. This whole month has been… Weird, to be honest. But, I kept seeing Em acting weird. As I said before, she was in the girl’s bathroom a lot working on some kind of experiment. This one girl, Abby, came up to me and that Em was doing some kinda weird chem experiment in the bathroom. I remember running to see what it was, cause I’d been looking for her anyway. She hadn’t been sat with me, Ash and X. If she’s not sat with me and the others, she’s in the chem lab, or the library. But she wasn’t.

I then went to see my grandfather. Well, my dad and Jamie’s mum made me, and my siblings. Jamie was showing off- What was she showing off? Some awful singing or something, and Grandpa took me to the side to show me his old journal. It wasn’t until he said that he knew something was wrong with the town that I started listening. I had a flick through and got to the page about his friends acting weird. I was really shocked, to be honest. It was the same as how Em had been acting.

So, I called Ash and they said that he would get bored, but to tell you, so, you did, and… Well, you’ve got it on tape how that went. I thought everything was fine. Em was acting normal again. I… I thought it was okay.

Then Ash came running, crying. Saying Em and X were going out. They’d been spending a bit more time together than normal, but… It was weird. Normally it’s me coming to Ash in a moment of crisis. I’d never seen him like that. They were… Really upset. I dunno, even I felt annoyed that Em and X were together. Maybe it’s cause they didn’t tell me. So, I told Ash that I’d always be on his side. It was scary, to be honest. The thought our friend group would split that much so close to our exams.

Ash eventually went home, and I woke up to a phone call.

[Rin’s voice sounds like it’s trembling]

Em had…

{Callie}

It’s okay, I know. You don’t need to say.

{Rin}

No, I- I know she’s okay now. [Sniffing] She’d tried to kill the spider. It had got back on her. I don’t even know how. I thought we’d gotten rid of it. I didn’t know it was the spider though.

I dunno, I don’t remember much of what happened next. I just felt so numb. I couldn’t think properly. Jamie’s mum told me to take her to school, but I didn’t even get as far as the playground. I just left her there. It was like my body was moving without me meaning to.

And then Ash was there, and he grounded me. Told me everything was okay. Told me Em was alive. Told me it was the spider again. God, I don’t know where I’d be without Ash. He told me everyone was in Everwich Manor, and that Jamie was in the playpark, she’d been there all day. I felt awful for just leaving her. And then we came back here.

[Rustling]

{Callie}

Thank you for telling me this. It’s really useful, getting a full picture of the ‘case’. If there’s anything else, just let me know, but in the meantime can you go and get X?

{Rin}

Okay.

[Rustling]

{Callie}

Hey, I like your new hair! It really suits you that short.

{Rin}

Oh. Thanks. It was… An accident. I need to get Ash to help me even it out. God, Jamie’s mum’s gonna have a field day telling me about how I’ve ruined my hair again.

{Callie}

It looks nice.

[A pause]

[Door opening]

[Door closing]

I hope Emilia wakes up soon. I’d like to get a statement from her. I hope she’s okay. In the meantime, I’m going to get a statement from X.

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

011-1 Callie’s First Statement

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt recording on the 25th October 2021. I’m sorry I couldn’t take you along for the ride. But a lot of things happened, and I have a lot of statements to take. I promise, dear listener, that I will tell you everything.

First of all, my own statement.

My name is Callie Hewitt, and for the past month I’ve been investigating the secrets of Everwich. I’ve been recording my process on tape, trying to give as much information as possible. But I kept some vital information from you, listener. And I ignored the fact that my episodes kept being corrupted, with a second voice appearing. We’ll get to that later.

When I started this podcast, on the 29th September 2021, I simply stated that I wanted to uncover the secrets of Everwich. Namely, the Everwich Ghost. What I didn’t mention, was that I knew all along. I knew from the beginning who the Everwich Ghost was, and if I hadn’t been so- So stupid, I could have saved everyone.

Charles Florence kept a journal. Kind of- Kind of similar to this, I guess. With his ‘scientific research’ of a weird spider. It ended abruptly, with the last entry being:

‘I feel unwell, but not sick. I fear the end is near. I hear someone moving. I shall return to my thoughts presently.’

It does not, in fact, return to his thoughts. I don’t know exactly what happened to Charles, but I knew about the spider. I knew is was extremely likely Charles was the ghost. And yet, I pretended I didn’t.

Why?

[A pause]

I genuinely have no idea. I guess I wanted to ‘find’ it, and have it be a fun denouement to the podcast, a finale. But as I kept investigating, more and more bad stuff happened, and I kept wanting to go to more and more lengths to find out stuff. I didn’t need to know about the caves, they held absolutely no relevance to anything! But I did. And I went into the caves. Nearly at the cost of my life.

God, I’m so stupid. I didn’t care, pretended not to notice the creepy, glitchy voice at the end of my recordings whenever I listened back a few days later, because it frightened me so much. I could never hear it in real life while recording, which meant someone had tampered with my tapes. I genuinely don’t know why, and after what’s happened with Xavier, Emilia, Rin and Asher, I’m not going to find out.

On that note, these will be the last few episodes of Secrets of Everwich. I’m going to get a final statement from everyone, and that’s it. No more. No more Secrets of Everwich, none. It got me into so much trouble, and I didn’t even gain anything from it.

So, yeah. That’s it. Thanks for listening to this Secret of Everwich. Tune in next time for someone else’s statement, I don’t know who’s yet.

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

11-2 Asher’s Final Statement

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie} Hello, my name is Callie Hewitt, and I’m recording on the 25th October 2021. I’m here with Asher Morris, a regular participant. I’m here for their final statement.

Ash, you explained to me everything that happened very briefly, but I wasn’t recording. Can you repeat it, please? Actually- Start from the beginning. I want a full statement.

{Asher}

Ohh, I think so. Well, okay, starting at the beginning.

It all began on that day Emilia wasn’t in school, which I don’t know how much you’ve heard on the podcast. I had a chemistry test and Emilia normally helps me with chemistry tests because she’s so smart and amazing at chemistry. She wasn’t in that day which was weird because she never takes a day off school unless she’s like really really ill, or Rin said there may have been another reason which was why she was so worried but she didn’t tell me what it was, so I just assumed she was ill.

But, normally she’ll text us and ask us to give her any catch-up work she needs, and I think she just spends the entire day doing the catch-up work, not actually resting, which always got Xavier very annoyed because it says we need to rest when we’re ill. He’s really caring for us like that. Anyway, I had to ask Xavier for help with the Chemistry test, which actually I got 48% on, which wasn’t too bad for me. Rin kept calling Em but she wouldn’t pick up, which was sad.

Anyway, the next day it was Rin’s birthday, and me, X and Em had been planning on taking her to see the show tour here at the manor because we thought it would be fun and Rin likes kinda creepy stuff like that, not as much as you though, but she definitely enjoys them, so we thought that would be a fun birthday present, and Emilia was there but she looked really pale and Rin was very worried about her, but then X took me aside, and… Do I really need to repeat myself for that? I really, really hate spiders…

{Callie} No, it’s okay. I won’t force you to.

{Asher}

Thank you. Anyway, after that I did the statement for you, and then all was fine until a few days later, I got a call from Rin, and… Well we’ve already talked about that. It all seemed to calm down after that until you sent me a message being like ‘Hello, I want you to make another statement pls come around at about 6pm ty’ and then you weren’t there, when I decided to record my own statement because I had no idea what you wanted me specifically for so I thought that if I just left something for you, that would be appreciated, while I was waiting because I am not good at waiting and you hadn’t texted anything but obviously that was when you were in the caves, but I didn’t know that.

Then after that I saw… Well, first I heard then I saw… Emilia and Xavier. It might have recorded on the tape, I don’t know, but they were talking about something, I think they were cooking something? And then…

[Very quietly, almost inaudible]

They kissed.

[Normal volume]

So, I- I ran away, I couldn’t be there anymore, I had to find Rin. And I did, I spoke with her, and she… Helped calm me down. I then went to bed, and woke up to the worst phone call I’ve ever had.

{Callie}

What was it?

{Asher}

Aiden called. On Emilia’s phone, we thought it was Emilia. He called our groupchat. Xavier didn’t pick up. Rin did, I did. He said Emilia was in hospital, and had been since 2am. She’d stabbed herself.

But it’s okay! She’s okay now!

{Callie}

Oh, good! Yeah, you, um… Mentioned earlier… Tell me what happened next.

{Asher}

Rin hung up, and it was just me and Aiden on the phone and he said that he was awake and was playing video games and heard a scream but not a scream from his video game apparently it wasn’t a video game that screamed, so he knew something was up and apparently that got him really worried so he went to the kitchen and there was Emilia lying there she was still kind of awake apparently and he said she said to put this spider corpse he called it in a test tube, so he phoned the emergency services and they took her to hospital, and said that she would be okay, he woke his mum up and put the spider in a test tube and he went to the hospital all night and I was thinking, oh a spider, what kind of spider, because while I really don’t like them, it reminded me of those green spiders from before, and he said it was a green spider.

I’m not normally good at working things out, Rin always says she doesn’t think I have the braincells for that and most of the time I agree, but I just thought, that maybe it was the spider from before, so I went to go and see Xavier because Rin wasn’t picking up, and Xavier was ignoring me and didn’t pick up, so I called you and you were still ignoring me, so I thought, maybe you’re back at home, so I was gonna see if you were in your room, and then I heard you, and you were covered in cobwebs and I told you everything.

[All quotes are acted out very overdramatically, in an over the top voice to mimic Callie and Xavier’s voices]

So then we went to Xavier’s room, and he was there, and he wasn’t doing anything, he was just sat there, and you were like, ‘You lied to me’, and Xavier was like, ‘No I didn’t’, and you were like ‘Yes, your statement, you said there were no spiders. There were so many spiders.’ And Xavier just sat there and then I spotted the spider thing, and it was a struggle but we managed to get it off.

And then we talked to Xavier for a bit and then I remembered about Rin, and so ran to go and find her because she wasn’t picking up her phone and I know Rin when she doesn’t pick up it means she’s really struggling so I went to her home, but I saw Jamie – that’s Rin’s half sister - playing in the playpark, which is weird because she should be at school, so I asked her where Rin was, and she was like ‘Why should I tell you’, and so I had to promise her 2 bags of candy which I really need to buy after this interview because I think Jamie is waiting outside with Rin and so I need to take her to the shops so she can buy some candy and anyway she eventually told me that Rin had walked over to the woods so I ran in to try and find her and I did and she’s okay now, I mean obviously cause she’s right outside this door, and so she grabbed Jamie and we both came back here.

{Callie}

Wow. That was… Very detailed.

{Asher}

Thank you!

{Callie}

Thank you for listening to this Secret of Everwich. Ash, could you ask Rin to come in?

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

10-3 Out of the Caves

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

[Echos reverberate around the walls]

[Their voice sounds panicked, though she seems to be attempting to keep it steady]

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, and I genuinely have no idea when I’m recording this. For purposes of the record, however, let’s say it’s still 24th October 2021. I’m still lost in the caves.

I’m lost in the caves, and my phone battery ran out after I tried to phone Xavier multiple times. He wouldn’t pick up. He never picks up my phone calls…

I’m now using my second torch, because everything else ran out of battery. It’s been a while. I’ve eaten most of my emergency food, and I’m sure I’ve been wandering in circles.

I tried to hold off talking into this recorder, because I don’t want this to run out of battery too. Or tape. But, it’s been a while, and I need company. Even if it’s my own.

[Footsteps underlie recording]

I left the trapdoor closed. I left it closed in the graveyard. How stupid am I? I should have just left it open, Bert would have noticed it was open! I can’t- I can’t find my way out, and if I can’t find my way out, that means I’m going to die in here.

I know people say to stay where you are, but I’ve tried that. I tried it for at least half an hour, phoning Xavier, then my parents, then Xavier again, then my parents again, then Xavier twice, then I even tried phoning Asher, but he wouldn’t respond too! I tried Xavier yet again, but he still wouldn’t pick up. I was about to try Rin, but then my phone ran out of battery. I swear I’d charged it before I left.

[Footsteps get quicker]

The caves circle round a lot, right? So, surely, if I keep walking I should find an exit, somewhere. Somewhere. I’m sure. I hope.

[Footsteps stop]

[Echoes get smaller, but still present]

Oh. Oh, I know where I am.

Wine barrels, 5 different exits into the caves. Boarded up door. Oh my god, wait, no that’s horrifying- That’s the thing, the thing Asher found!

[Sounds of running]

I need to get up these stairs, I need someone to hear me, I won’t be stuck here, I won’t disappear, I won’t!

[Crash]

[Sounds of running stops]

[A pause]

Ow…

Ew, ew, ew, get off me, get off me, you are not friendly spiders.

[Sounds of running again]

I’ll deal with that later, I’ll deal with a scratch later, I just need to get out, I need to-

[Banging]

[Loudly]

Hello? Hello, is anyone there? Anyone? Please- Please, help-

[Quieter, banging slows down]

Please- Anyone-

[Silence]

[Sounds of sobbing]

I’m so stupid. I’m so, so stupid. I shouldn’t have come down here, what did I even find that I didn’t already know. I knew about the arachnids, I knew about them from the start. I knew about Charles, I knew about what the big secret of Everwich was.

[Silence, other than sounds of sobbing]

[A pause, sobbing stops]

[Sounds of a lock opening]

[Sounds of a door opening]

Hello? Who’s there, oh my god thank you for unlocking the door, thank you- Hello?

[A pause]

[Silence]

[Slow footsteps]

How-

Questions later, get out now.

[Sounds of a door closing]

[Sounds of a lock closing]

[Silence]

Well, here I am, back home. Everwich manor. It’s already morning, I can see the light. Did- Did Xavier not notice I was gone?

[Sounds of faint footsteps running]

{Asher}

[Faintly]

Callie! Callie, it’s an emergency, please stop ignoring your phone!

{Callie}

[Loudly]

Asher, I’m over here!

[Footsteps get louder]

{Asher}

[Growing louder]

Okay there’s a bit of a problem and I need your help to sort it- Whoa-

[Footsteps stop]

Why are you covered in dirt and cobwebs and have very ripped tights and are bleeding- WAIT WHY ARE YOU BLEEDING?

{Callie}

Um. Caves. I’ll explain later, what’s the problem?

{Asher}

Okay so Emilia was acting strange again and then I saw her and Xavier kissing yesterday because I came to chat with you like you asked me to but you weren’t there so I recorded a fun little statement because I thought why not since I was there and Xavier and Emilia were kissing when they got home and it was disgusting and I hated them and ran to Rin and then at like 2am last night apparently Em got really injured like she had to go into hospital and Aiden was calling us as soon as we awoke I think he actually woke Rin up but Xavier didn’t respond to the call and Aiden said there was a weird spider corpse but by that point Rin had already left the call because she was so worried about Emilia and so it was just me Aiden was saying that to so I thought, oh gosh, what if that’s the spider thing, well I’ve got to check because if it is maybe it wasn’t Xavier kissing Emilia then maybe me and Xavier can be together and so I came straight here.

[Silence]

{Callie}

Hold on, that’s a lot to process… What?!

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

10-2 From Asher

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Asher}

Hello? Is this on? Oh wow it’s got a red light that must mean it’s recording!

Well hello so basically Callie isn’t here but she asked me if I could pop round at 6pm to chat about some Everwichy secrets and they said to meet them in her room but obviously she’s not here so now I’m just here for no reason. So I decided to record something for them because I’m very busy with rehearsals most days of the week and also I’ve got plans with Xavier tomorrow so today was really the only day I could do.

Well Callie said Everwichy secrets obviously that wasn’t their actual wording I’ve just made it into a better phrase- Wait doesn’t Callie normally put the date? Well it’s the 24th October in 2021 as normal and I’m Asher Morris! [Laughter]

Okay so Everwichy secrets, hm… Oh, oh, oh! I know! I saw the ghost! I saw it a few days ago. I don’t know what Callie wanted me to talk about so I’m going to talk about this and Callie will be so thankful I’m helping their investigation.

Well, I was walking home from school today and it was originally with Rin and Xavier but then Rin’s brother came and I ran away with Xavier because I hate being around Rin’s brother, and Rin told us to go anyway, so it was just me and Xavier and of course I was so embarrassed and I just kept talking like an idiot because I am an idiot and so Xavier was looking bored and then he said he had to go through the park to do something and I obviously assumed it was for football or something so I just let him go and then it was just me and it was getting dark, because it’s October and it’s freezing because it’s autumn.

[Overdramatically]

And then I saw a huge figure! White hair! White eyes! Okay when I say huge I promise it’s not just because I’m short it was huge it was probably taller than X, so that’s obviously huge because X is very tall. It was yelling at something or other, walking in the same direction as Xavier so I ran in the opposite direction because I am not about to die from a serial killer or mass murderer or ghost.

Ohh, Callie would want to know what it was yelling at. I have no idea what it was yelling at all I know is that it was yelling very loudly and asking someone what it thought it was doing- Here, I’ll do an impression.

[With a silly voice]

        ‘What do you think you’re doing? You’re ruining their lives just like you ruined mine. You know, I don’t think you’re trying to protect anyone. [A pause] What do you mean you were never trying to protect anyone, that’s what you always told me!’

[Normal voice]

And that’s when it left. So, anyway that was my-

{Voice}

[Very faint]

So, we just need to get the last ingredient, and it will be ready.

{Xavier}

[Also very faint]

Great.

{Asher}

[Normal volume]

Oh, Xavier and Emilia are here!

[Footsteps running]

[Door creaks]

[Footsteps getting fainter]

{Asher}

[Faintly]

Hey, guy-

[Silence, other than radio static]

[Footsteps getting louder]

[Door creaks]

[Footsteps pacing]

No, no, no, no no- [Laughter] This must be a joke-

This is just a stupid joke, and they’ll come in laughing and it’ll be fine-

I don’t think they even noticed I was there-

I need to go, I need to get out of here. God, where’s Rin when you need her?!

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

10-1 Into the Caves

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

[Sounds of outside – wind, the occasional bird, twigs snapping etc.]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, recording on the 24th October 2021. I’m here in the graveyard in the evening, because I’m about to do something very stupid.

I know, I know, what could be more stupid than camping out for the Everwich Ghost? Well… Going into the Everwich Caves is definitely more stupid. And yet, I’m still going to. Why? Because I need answers. I need them. I, uh, did something very bad earlier, so I’m a bit on the clock right now to get into the caves, so let’s just go straight into it!

[Sounds of a lock opening]

[Sounds of a door opening]

[Sounds of Callie struggling]

Well. I’m currently looking at an open trapdoor. It’s… Very dark in there. Thankfully, I brought my lantern, my phone, and two torches. I also brought a backpack full of snacks, a first aid kit including emergency medication, a knife (just in case), an umbrella, and – obviously – the map. I also brought a map of Everwich, because why not! You can’t say I didn’t come prepared.

[Sounds of someone clambering around]

[Sounds of a door slamming shut]

[Echoes after all of Callie’s words]

Wow… It really is dark in here.

[Footsteps]

This is quite exciting, to be honest. Although- I wish there was someone here with me. But that’s okay, I’ve got you, loyal listener! Right. Well, I guess I should explain how I got here in the first place. Earlier today, I snuck into the graveskeeper’s house and stole Bert’s spare skeleton key… I really shouldn’t have, but I searched everywhere – and I mean everywhere – in the manor for the key to the basement, and I couldn’t find it. I even got Xavier to search his room again.

The entrance by the war memorial has been blocked up entirely since the 60s, and there’s no way I’m trudging through the forest in near-darkness alone.

[A pause]

[Footsteps stop]

Okay I understand how stupid that sounds now.

[Footsteps resume]

But at least in the graveyard, I could see where people were coming from, and I know it very well. The forest, I do not.

Anyway, I stole Bert’s skeleton key so I could unlock the trapdoor that leads into the caves. I feel bad, but, like I said, I need to get answers. At this point, it’s too late to turn back anyway.

My parents don’t mind I’m not here, they’re out doing… I don’t even know what they’re up to. They just said ‘business trip’. Point is, I was going to be home alone anyway. Xavier’s off with Emilia again, I think, so…

It’s definitely quite spooky, but it’s also quite fun down here. Listen to that echo!

[Loudly]

Echo!

{Echoes of Callie}

Echo, echo, echo, echo…

{Callie}

[Laughs]

Frankly, I was getting sick of being stuck in my room. There wasn’t anything to do!

Oh, that’s interesting! Look- Wait, you can’t look. There’s initials engraved here. Lots of them. Some look newer, some look older. That’s so cool… It’s so interesting seeing all the people’s initials. They all wanted to make a mark. And they did!

[Rustling]

I forgot to mention, I also took a camera. Like, a proper old-fashioned one, so I could take cool pictures.

[A different click]

There we go! Now I can look at this later on.

[A pause]

[Footsteps continue]

[Faint panting begins as time goes on]

Oh, I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I’m in a dead end. It kind of looks like a small room. I’ll pause here for a second, and just check the map.

[Rustling]

Okay, so if I walked from the graveyard entrance- Hold on, which one is that? This map kind of reminds me of a spider’s web… [Laughs] Okay, so it could be… That entrance, in which case… I didn’t turn around, so I would have gotten… I should have gone straight towards the basement of Everwich Manor by now, which means it wasn’t that entrance. So maybe… This one-

Oh wait, I could overlay the maps!

[Rustling]

Okay, so… There is the… The entrance… But that’s not possible… I didn’t take a turn anywhere, did I? Unless I started out the wrong way… This is such a maze.

[Sounds of a throat clearing]

Okay well, it appears I have taken a wrong turn somewhere, which means I’m going to keep my map out from now on. I think I know where I am, so I’m just going to follow the map.

[Rustling]

Lantern in one hand, map in the other, backpack on my back, let’s go!

[Footsteps]

[Silence]

[Radio static grows in loudness as time goes on]

[Radio static grows quieter]

[More panting]

So… I am… Very tired, and would like to sit down… I must have… been wrong in where I was with the… map, because I’ve been… Walking for… So long…

[A pause]

Unless… the layout has… changed… People haven’t been… In here for a… While, so…

[A pause]

[Footsteps stop]

Well… I think… This expedition has… not been a success… Hold on… What’s the time?

[Rustling]

[A pause]

Oh.

[Callie’s voice grows quieter, and more scared sounding]

[Less panting, but panting is still there]

It’s… Apparently very late. I entered at 5pm, and… apparently it’s 7pm now. I think I’m going to sit here for a bit, and retrace… My steps.

Thank you for listening to… This secret of Everwich. I’ll see you next time.

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

08-1 The Everwich Caves

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, and I’m recording on the 22nd October 2021. In my last recording – 07-2 – I said I wanted to find out more about the Everwich Caves, which frankly, I didn’t know existed until a few weeks ago. Was it really a few weeks ago? Gosh… This investigation has already gone so quickly!

So, I’ve decided to go on a hunt for the Everwich Caves. First step: The town records in the library. I hopefully should be able to find some kind of record about the caves, probably from many years ago. I’m not going straight into the caves for two reasons: One, I’m not stupid. Yes I did just stand and stare at the Everwich Ghost a few days ago, but that sighting isn’t confirmed as the ghost so it doesn’t count. I’m trying to be more prepared now. Two, I don’t have the keys to the basement to check anyway.

[Click]

[Click]

[Whispered]

Hello, I’m here in a study room in the library with everything I could find related to the Everwich Caves. Right. I’ve got a lot here, so let’s crack on. I’m uh, just gonna read out, because I don’t have the energy to summarise.

This first source is from a 60s book: A Summarised History of Everwich. I may take this book out to use it…

        ‘Throughout Everwich, many shops and houses buildings are connected underground, thanks to the cave system underneath Everwich. Created by natural forces, the Everwich Caves spread throughout Everwich in a maze-like pattern. Not just spreading throughout the town, it also spreads into the neighbouring forest and beyond.

        ‘It seems a good candidate for a wine cellar during the middle ages, due to its constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, and more recently was used as a bomb shelter during the two World Wars. The caves have entrances still accessible today in the graveyard, by the war memorial, and in the forest by the train station. All other entrances are blocked up, or inaccessible due to being on private property.’

Well, that’s definitely interesting! I also managed to find a map of the caves, so I think I’ll use that to navigate my way around when I go down to check them out.

The second source is from The Everwich Post, from an edition from July 1986.

        ‘Everwich Declared a Heritage Site.

        ‘The Everwich Caves have been deemed a site of historical importance, meaning that developers now must be extremely careful so as not to disturb the caves system lying just under the surface of Everwich.

        ‘Most towns in England have some form of caves under, whether man-made or natural, and Everwich is no exception. However, what makes Everwich special is the sheer size of its cave system. If you enter at one end of the town, you can almost certainly get to any other part of town if you know your way around the caves.

        ‘As well as its newfound heritage site status, the caves are home to a few species of bats, which is another cause for people leaving the caves well alone. Some say, the bats have been attacking citizens who wonder into the caves, which has been put down as being rabies, due to the symptoms those attacked by the bats come back with.’

The paper then goes on to talk about the same stuff the book says. I think the reporter took that information straight from this book, to be honest.

Most other sources I’ve been looking at have the same information – some literally just copied and pasted. Oh well, I have someone in mind who may have some general knowledge about the caves.

[Click]

[Click]

[Sounds of outside – wind, birds chirping etc.]

[Footsteps running]

Bert! Bert! Hi!

[Footsteps stop]

{Bert} Hello there, miss. Haven’t got into trouble yet, have you?

{Callie}

Not yet, don’t worry! I wanted to ask you something, if that’s okay?

{Bert}

Well, I suppose so.

{Callie}

Great! Well, what do you know about the Everwich Caves? I’ve been doing some research, and apparently there’s an entrance here in the graveyard. Is it still open?

{Bert}

Still on your little investigation? [Chuckles] Yes, there is an entrance. It’s over there, that trapdoor behind those bars. But, it’s locked. You’re not planning on going in there, are you?

{Callie} No, no, don’t worry!

{Bert} Good. I’d hate to be the reason for your getting injured.

{Callie} Anyway, what information do you know?

{Bert}

Let’s see… There’s a section used as catacombs, underneath the grounds. The less famous families would get buried there, before the caves got closed.

{Callie}

They got closed?

{Bert}

Indeed, about 20 years ago. Group of kids went in, never seen again. But that’s the same old story here, isn’t it? Disappearances and such.

{Callie} Exactly! That’s what I’m interested in!

{Bert}

I’d say that’s a bit morbid, but I work in a graveyard [Chuckles]

{Callie}

[Laughs] Anyway, thank you, Bert, I’ll let you get on with your grave keeping!

[Footsteps]

[Distantly]

{Bert}

I’ll be seeing you around, miss.

[Normal volume]

{Callie}

More disappearances! I can’t believe the caves were closed, wow. I didn’t find that in the library. Well, I’d better go back home.

[Click]

[Click]

Back in my room now! Well, thanks for listening to this Secret of Everwich, I’ll see you next time!

[Click]

[secrets-of-everwich]

07-1 Xavier’s Statement

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies recording]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, recording on the 18th October 2021. I’m here with Xavier Hewitt, who has finally agreed to give a statement.

So, to start with, do you remember taking Asher down to the basement?

{Xavier}

You’re still on about that? Okay. I do.

[A pause]

{Callie}

Care to expand upon that?

{Xavier}

What is there to say? I took Asher down to the basement, cause there was something weird there.

{Callie}

Yes but, how did you know something was there? Why Asher? Why not me, or Rin, or Emilia? Why that day?

{Xavier}

I’d found the key to the basement a few days before, and I went down there late at night. I thought I’d been dreaming, so I wanted someone else to confirm.

Why not you? You were locked away in your bedroom literally every free moment I had. Talking into this recording thing. And I wanted to wait to show you.

Asher wasn’t going to judge if there was nothing there. [Sigh] I know he likes me, so if there was nothing there I could just admit I liked him back.

{Callie}

I’m sorry, what? You like Asher?

{Xavier}

Not anymore.

{Callie}

Wait, what? Why don’t you anymore? What made you like him? How did you te- Nevermind. This isn’t relevant.

{Xavier}

I liked him at the time, but now there’s someone else I like. But my thought process was, if there was nothing there and I took Rin in, she’d be judgemental like usual, and if I took Emilia in, well. She’d been acting strange.

I picked that day because us four were at the manor anyway. That’s all?

{Callie}

Can you give me your recount of what happened when you went down there the first time?

{Xavier}

I found the key lying behind a plant pot outside. It looked like it had recently been placed there. I picked it up, it said ‘Basement’. I knew where the basement entrance was, so I went over to check it out. I went downstairs, there were lots of cobwebs. Small spiders too. I opened the door, and I saw something moving in the shadows. It freaked me out, so I dropped my torch and ran.

{Callie}

Okay. And now the time with Asher?

{Xavier}

It was basically the same. Except it was Asher that dropped the torch. We went down, and we joked about how it’s obvious that Rin and Em like each other. Asher kept nearly fainting, even though all was there was spiderwebs. I didn’t realise he hated spiders that much. Then he dropped the torch. Yelled at me a bit. He left. I picked up both torches, and left after him.

{Callie}

Hold on, he yelled at you? Asher didn’t mention anything about that.

{Xavier}

He told me I don’t care about him or his feelings, I never have, and that I should stop treating him like a baby.

{Callie}

God… And was there anything that, I dunno, Asher saw?

{Xavier}

He might have seen whatever made the shadow, but I wasn’t looking in that room.

{Callie}

Right, thank you… I think that’s all, thanks.

{Xavier}

Hold on, didn’t you want a statement about the incident a week ago?

{Callie}

No, no, I’ll save that for another episode.

{Xavier}

Okay.

[Footsteps]

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

[A pause]

[Footsteps]

[Door opens]

[Door closes]

[Footsteps]

{Callie}

Okay, well, this has been an interesting statement! Thank you for listening to this Secret of Everwich.

[Click]