The Optio is part of The Journals of Nicholas Briggs Series of books. The series follows fifteen-year -old Nicholas Briggs as he assistants Professor Ashcroft debunker of the supernatural in Victorian Britain. The series blends elements of mystery, horror and action into thrilling supernatural adventures for young adults & beyond.

Wednesday 14th November 1860

Chapter 1

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  The old man in the bed still breathed. That was all Mr Aldecott managed. The stroke had been cruel. His condition had deteriorated and now nobody expected him to live through the night. His family formed a vigil around his deathbed while Professor Ashcroft, debunker of the supernatural, leant against the mantlepiece watching with indifference. Feeling as if we were intruding I pulled back the curtains and stared out on to the dark storm swept streets of London.

  “Nicholas,” the Professor called.

  The family were leaving. I took one last look at the dying man before following the others out of the room. Edward, Mr Aldecott’s son, led the Professor and I into the billiards room.

  I was ignored while the two men sat before the fire, brandy glasses in hand toasting the dying man.

  Edward took a deep breath. “I invited you here because my father believes that the male line of our family is haunted by a banshee. If he is right and he does die tonight, then the banshee will come for his soul.”

  A sudden howl of wind reminded us of the storm outside. The two men looked at each other, sharing the same thought; that on a night like this it was all too easy to believe in ghost stories.

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  Professor Ashcroft snorted. “For years I have been studying the supernatural, and I am yet to see any evidence of anything that cannot be proven without a scientific explanation.”

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  A groan of disbelief escaped my lips. The Professor looked up.

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  “Sorry sir.” I coughed. “Something in my throat.”

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  The Professor scowled then turned back to Edward. “Do not worry. I will be on hand this evening to witness any spirit or fairy that visit him.”

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  With that we returned to Mr Aldecott’s room.

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  The Professor inspected the man within. “No change. I will take the first watch. You had better get some sleep.”

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  I made a nest of sheets on the floor beneath the curtains. I closed my eyes and listened to the rain tapping against the glass and the wheezing of the dying man in the bed.

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Chapter 2

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  I woke with a start. The Professor sat asleep in his chair. I turned to the dying man. The moisture in my throat evaporated. Mr Aldecott lay wheezing in his bed – but he wasn’t alone.

  An emaciated woman leant over him. She looked as if she had crawled from the grave.

  The spectre bent to meet Mr Aldecott's lips. Desperately he kissed the spectre back. Then he began to violently convulse before collapsing back against the mattress. The spectre pulled her shrivelled black lips away. His chest rose no more, and it would never do so again.

  The spectre glided towards me. Terrified I backed away and then stopped in midstride. I had been mistaken. She was not a skeletal hag but the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She smiled and I forgot my fear. The death of Mr Aldecott was unimportant, the Professor snoring in the chair an irrelevance, all that matted was this beautiful woman.

  Smiling like an idiot I stepped forwards wanting to kiss her. Then before my eyes the glamour lifted and the ghastly spectre returned. I scrambled away. Fearing she was following I looked back. The beautiful woman watched me with amusement. I tilted my head and she turned back into the corpse. I straightened my head. The beautiful woman reappeared. She was both the hag and the beautiful woman at the same time.

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  “Do not fear me,” the banshee said. “For a surprise visitor seeking help will set you on a dangerous path. Death stalks your future.”

  The banshee let out the most pitiful scream I had ever heard. I screwed my eyes shut willing it to stop.

  The scream ceased and the banshee was gone.

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Chapter 3

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  Woken the Professor raced to the bed. He felt for a pulse as summoned from all over the house by the banshee’s wail, family and servants rushed into the room.

  The Professor shook his head. “I am sorry.”

  The family broke into tears.

  “Come along, Nicholas,” the Professor said.

  I followed the Professor back to the billiards room.

  “Is there anything you would like to tell me?” the Professor asked.

  “The banshee killed him. She screamed then vanished.”

  “There is a reasonable explanation for this. You just had a vivid dream.”

  “No… I…”

  The door opened and Edward entered the room.

  “We heard the scream. Was it the banshee?”

  “No. The scream came from my assistant Nicholas,” the Professor said. “It seems he had a rather vivid dream, and he woke with a scream. The fact his scream coincided with your father’s death is a coincidence. As for the banshee I can assure you that your father was not visited by such a thing. I was in the room, and I did not witness anything out of the ordinary.”

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Thursday 15th November 1860

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Chapter 4

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  “Forget about the bad dream and congratulate yourself on a job well done,” the Professor said.

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  I gave a weak smile.

  We had just returned to the Professor’s house.  Gertie Stubbs greeted us in the hall. At fifteen Gertie was a few months older than me and worked as a maid in the Professor’s house. She was my closest friend and the only one I could tell the truth to about the supernatural incidents I witnessed.

  “There is a guest waiting in the parlour,” Gertie said.

A feeling of dread crept through me. I knew with a certainty they were the surprise visitor seeking help that the banshee had warned me against…

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You decide what happens next. Choose who the mysterious guest is, why they are seeking help, and where they are from. Take part below.

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