Disclaimer: The following document fragment is presented from an in-character perspective, it should not be taken as the truth of the setting.
Context: Have you ever considered how it might feel, to encounter something that completely uproots your understanding of reality, and leaves you stranded in a world you no longer understand? In this excerpt from a journal, a mage interviews a demi-mage about a benign anomalous object.
Transcript of interview with Lanya Mirschoff, August 20th, 2015:
Interviewer: “Alright, it’s recording- uh. Mm. This is an archived interview with Lanya Mirschoff, the professor in biochemistry at the University of Lanchester. Professor Mirschoff is being interviewed today about a… ‘potentially anomalous Karakuri doll’ of Japanese origin. Does this sound correct?”
Mirschoff: “Ah, thank you; it does. Yes, I… saw it fit to contact your organisation after a series of, ah, peculiar happenings around my campus office.”
Interviewer: “Mhm. Could you define what you mean by ‘happenings’?”
Mirschoff: “Yes, sorry. Ah, yes, about… I believe 2, maybe about 3 months ago, an acquaintance of mine came back after an extended visit to Osaka. You know, in Japan. They were sweet enough to have brought back some touristy gifts for their friends, which ah, evidently includes me.”
Interviewer: “And this is how you came into possession of the karakuri doll?”
Mirschoff: “Yes; I’ve not the faintest idea how it might’ve survived the flight over. I’m unaware as to how they acquired the doll, I didn’t ask and they didn’t explain. Poor etiquette to, uh, look a gift horse in the mouth, yes?”
Interviewer: “Mhm. When did you start noticing these supposed anomalous properties with the doll? Have you attempted to use the Karakuri for its, ah, intended purpose? From what I understand, they were always designed with a specific ‘trick’ in mind.”
Mirschoff: “I have not, no. In fact, I’ve been woefully unable to elucidate what the doll’s intended responsibility is. It didn’t come with any accessories, neither instructions or tools. My acquaintance didn’t tell me anything, either. I assume they believed Karakuri are decorative pieces, and that’s what it thusly became. Just sitting on my desk, see.”
Interviewer: “So the anomalous properties just manifested on their own?”
Mirschoff: “Mhm. I thought I was going a little mad at first. See, I know how it sounds, but I’m a bit of a… scatterbrain? I clutter easily, my office often becomes such a mess-“
Interviewer: “Is this… related to the matter at hand?”
Mirschoff: “Yes, actually. See, one day I returned to my office after holding a seminar to find that, all that mess and clutter had been tidied up!”
Interviewer: “Isn’t it possible that was just the janitor, or an assistant helping out? If the mess was as bad as you make it sound-“
Mirschoff: “After years of messes untouched by any hands besides my own, I reserve my right to doubt. More importantly, I know the Karakuri was the helping culprit.”
Interviewer: “Did you catch it on a security camera, or?”
Mirschoff: “No, no. The strange thing was that, when I laid eyes on it, sitting politely in its usual spot… I knew, somehow.”
Interviewer: “You ‘knew’?”
Mirschoff: “Yes; it was as if it was telling me, directly yet undirectly.”
Interviewer: “Like telepathy?”
Mirschoff: “No, it didn’t utter or even use any words to, ah, ‘admit’ to it. It told me, and that’s how I knew. I didn’t think it or assume it, I just… knew. It was a very strange thing.”
Interviewer: “It certainly sounds like it. Do you think it’s potentially malevolent? Dangerous? A cognitohazard?”
Mirschoff: “If it’s evil, it is a very petty and banal evil. The worst it’s done thus far was to rearranging my personal document order.”
Interviewer: “I see. Well, I hope that if things, ah, change, you’ll contact us again. Banal properties aren’t really our priority, but we appreciate your wherewithal in informing us.”
Mirschoff: “Yes, yes. Thank you for giving me the time and an ear. Now, I should return and make sure it hasn’t messed up my documentation again…”
Esoteric Musings... 