26. Mr. Murmur

26. Mr. Murmur

On a street with no name sits a house with no number.  Inside, the enigmatic figure of the night known only as Mr. Murmur sits at his desk under a lone green lamp and sorts through a stack of mail.  The letters have been delivered to him through a variety of messengers or means (a one-eyed street dweller, a trained night jay, a special unmarked drop box located at the back of Dr. Erdling's Crime Museum) and each one is a request for his assistance.  

To many, Mr. Murmur is a fairy tale, "twaddle" or "balderdash".  Some say he simply doesn't exist.  But to those who believe, and who are desperate enough to write to him, he is very real indeed!

He takes on those cases the police can't - or won't - solve.  He specializes in investigations that involve elements of the weird or uncanny.  He often merely observes, waiting patiently, allowing events to unfold and only intervening at the precise moment when he is needed.  He is the deus ex machina, swooping in suddenly, out of the shadows, to rain down justice or vengeance, and perhaps offer some hope to the hopeless.

Occasionally, special cases are sent his way by the elusive individual known only as "The Man on the Phone" or Mr. Upstairs.

Although the authorities will never admit it, Mr. Murmur is responsible for bringing down a number of evil-doers, fiends and creeps.  His rogues gallery of villains includes:  Captain Squab, the Pirate Emperor of Carnival Island;  Klorimandus, The Mad Mummy; Equinoxious, The Crocodile King; The Devil Damsels; Mongor, The Snow Gremlin; the murderous knife-throwing team of Eyeless Jack and Linda; the living head of Zolok, the mesmerist; and that inhuman creature responsible for "The Corkscrew Murders" known only as The Wheezer.

(See; Thirteen O'Clock and The Diabolical Dr. Q in the book MANIAC KILLER STRIKES AGAIN)

27. Justine

27. Justine

If the stories the old busybodies and gossips tell are true, and there really was once a "school for weird kids" called Reynardine, located just over the hills in a little village with an unpronounceable name that sits at the foot of Blackwoods Mountain -- well, if that were true, then Justine probably went to school there.  

And if that school really did burn to the ground under mysterious circumstances, as some of the older and nosier townsfolk claim, then it's possible Justine may know all about that, as well.

But few people in any of the villages dotting the countryside know Justine very well.  Although she appears now and then to give aid and assistance when needed, some folks grumble that she often leaves things worse than when she came.  They say that if she is only going to complain and heave heavy sighs while supposedly lending a helping hand, why doesn't she just mind her own business and let folks sort out their own problems?  

Some wager that she only does an occasional good deed to impress her boss, the elusive man of mystery known as Obscurus.  It's also been said that she is friends with the somewhat spooky waif named Peculia, although others claim they are the furtherest thing from friends and that Justine has been observed spying on the other girl and reporting her activities into her phone.

It must be said, that while it's true that Justine is often seen idly wandering the hillside, chatting on her phone or napping under a tree, she has proved extremely resourceful and even brave in her encounters with some of the odder denizens of the outer villages, such as the Kensington Valley werewolves or Professor Bell's army of zombies.  

(See: PECULIA)

28. Death

28. Death

No one knows where he comes from or where he'll show up next, but apparently he's been around for a long time and is to blame for all manner of trouble and problems.   Attempts to capture or kill him have been unsuccessful, so he remains on the loose and citizens are cautioned about approaching him or attempting to engage him in conversation. 

 It is considered an ill omen or "bad luck" to see him.  If you catch a glimpse of him standing in your headlights on a lonely country road or if you turn the corner in an old abandoned building and can make out his figure standing at the end of the hall, smiling at you, it is advised that you, as a precaution, quickly turn around and go the other way.

Beware especially if he removes his gloves, revealing his bony hands.  Anyone he touches will suddenly glow an unearthly shade of green, then burst into a ball of fire, leaving only scattered bones, ashes and shreds of clothing where a person used to be.

(See: PECULIA)

29. Daffodil

29. Daffodil

Bonnie Randell is a bright and enthusiastic student at Lone Mountain College, happy to have left her small town roots behind.  She plans on getting a degree in education because she loves kids - although she thinks she might like to do something with animals, too.

One night she is invited by a group of fellow co-eds to attend a meeting for young ladies who wish to "get in touch with their inner pirate."  Though it seems a bit of harmless fun at first, the meeting is actually a sinister trap set by a rather peculiar individual named Aunt Azalea - the cunning mastermind of a secret criminal organization operating out of the old Pirate Museum, located just off campus.  

Before she knows whats happening, Bonnie finds herself locked up and facing various forms of psychological manipulation, mind-control, brain-washing and hypnosis.  Bonnie is indoctrinated into becoming the latest member of Aunt Azalea's pirate "crew," and like all members, she learns to follow Aunt Azalea's orders without question.  

To her pirate crew, "Auntie", is a loving but stern mother figure who promises to care for them and love them if they do as they are told. Aunt Azalea names all the girls after "the flowers in my garden" - so Bonnie becomes Daffodil - and Bonnie Randell is no more.

Daffodil proves to be a model member of the crew, and soon, because of her natural enthusiasm and other singular skills, she is promoted to "Captain".  

However, although the crew has been conditioned to perceive Aunt Azalea as kind and benevolent, the truth is that the fiendish crook has very little patience for failure.  And after Daffodil makes not one, but two errors on an assignment of extreme importance to Auntie, the unfortunate girl is lured into a dark room where, after "walking the plank," she has a deadly encounter with "The Occupant of the Well."

(See: MAD NIGHT)

30. Professor Massimo Ibex

30. Professor Massimo Ibex

The once the venerable reputation of The College of Lone Mountain has recently been overshadowed by a grim notoriety ~ particularly regarding the cover-up of the shockingly high number of deaths and disappearances on and around campus over the years.  The conspiracy of silence which involved many faculty members and other campus authorities, finally came to an end the same night that a fire destroyed part of the most famous building on campus, the clock tower.

The clock tower itself has an interesting history.  The basic structure of the tower, which stands 307 feet (93.6 m), actually existed on that spot long before the campus was built.  Legend has it that it was erected hundreds of years earlier by persons unknown - who had vanished long before it was discovered by settlers.  For years, the more superstitious among the early settlers - believing it to be a place of witchcraft or evil -  tried to have it knocked down, but the structure withstood those attempts.  After the Civil War, Lone Mountain College was established and built around the structure, which was then converted into the famous campus landmark when a clock was installed, and people forgot all about its ancient origins.

After the fire, there were stories that one of the members of the Science Faculty, Professor Massimo Ibex, had what appeared to be a rather curious, unorthodox laboratory on the tower's highest floor.  Documents describing what authorities found there after the fire were ordered sealed until a thorough investigation could be completed, but have since been lost.

Although Professor Ibex was listed as a member of the Science Faculty for nearly a century, no one can quite remember ever seeing him.  It is believed that he was allowed to live and work on campus, doing some kind of research and experiments involving human glandular fluids and their relation to aging.

Since his disappearance the night of the fire, many rumors and urban legends have emerged.  One researcher claimed to have traced the origins of Ibex's work back several hundred years and thousands of miles away to a sinister, nameless alchemist who had conducted experiments involving halting or even reversing the aging process and who wrote about the transference of the human life force - from one body to another.  

Needless to say, these sorts of tall tales - inevitably involving black magic, mad scientists, blood sacrifice, forbidden experiments, deranged faculty members and serial killings - have somewhat lessened the once distinguished reputation of Lone Mountain College.  Conspiracy buffs wonder if the entire Science Faculty, including student favorite Ms. Moss, may have participated in some sort of ritualistic mass murder.  It has even been noted that "Massimo" is an anagram for "I am Moss", although what that could mean, if anything, is anyone's guess.  Luckily, most people ignore such silliness.

And now, with news that the clock tower has finally been restored, campus officials are hoping to once again attract a fresh crop of students and restore the school's former reputation as an ideal location for education and enlightenment - and not as some ghastly place haunted by the ghosts of slaughtered innocents and an ancient, deathless evil.

(See: MAD NIGHT)

31. Batricia Nocturna

31.  Batricia Nocturna ~ Queen of the Bats

Doctor Batricia Nocturna, one of the youngest specialists in exotic wildlife, is on an expedition in a previously unexplored area of a rather dark and treacherous jungle,  when she becomes separated from her companions.  One of the other members of the expedition, jealous of Dr. Nocturna, reports that she saw the girl being devoured by a giant python.  Consequently, the group stops searching and returns home, leaving Dr. Nocturna alone in the jungle.

She wanders for days and becomes sick and delirious with fever.  Stumbling into a clearing she comes upon an ancient stone temple where she is suddenly attacked by a swarm of vicious vampire bats.

Some time later, she awakens to find herself inside the temple, being tended to by an old woman.  The toothless old hag tells Batricia that since the bites of the bats did not kill her, she must be "the chosen one".  "Long have I waited for my replacement as the guardian of this holy shrine",  the old woman says.  "Now that you are here, I may go on to my final rest."

As time passes and Batricia slowly recovers, the old woman teaches Batricia how to communicate with and control the bats.  But Batricia has no plans on staying in the jungle for the rest of her life.  As soon as she has her health back and has figured out a way to escape, she flees and heads back to civilization.   The old woman's voice echoes in her ears" " You cannot escape your destiny!"

When she returns home, she discovers to her surprise that she has been gone for twenty years!  Time stood still in the jungle and she has not aged.  She also learns that the other members of the expedition who abandoned her have gone on to successful careers, all based on research stolen from her!  No one believes she is who she says she is and she is threatened with confinement in a lunatic asylum!

She goes into hiding and plots revenge on those who wronged her - and on society in general.  In no time at all, she embarks on a career of criminal mischief and murder using her remarkable ability to communicate with and control an army of deadly vampire bats!

32. Miss Limbo

32.  Miss Limbo

Although many of the local astrologers who gather for occasional meetings to share news and gossip have somewhat dubious talents, Miss Limbo is regarded by many as being "the real deal" - that is, she is thought to have an actual talent for reading the stars, and perhaps even possessing some true psychic abilities.

At one of the meetings, a local astrology columnist named Cyril Root, who writes under the name of "Venus", tells the assembled group a bizarre story involving a deranged "outsider artist" named Emile Jarnac.  Cyril is notably shaken by the story he tells, but most of the group laugh it off and move on to other topics.

But the tale disturbs Miss Limbo profoundly and she has nightmares and even what she thinks may be visions as a result.

Does she possess real psychic abilities?  And if she does, will she be able to warn "Venus" before he is brutally murdered?  And. more importantly, will she be able to foresee the looming threat to her own life as the killer comes creeping to her door?

(See: THE CHUCKLING WHATSIT)