Lockwood & Co. Book Three: The Hollow Boy (42 page)

Agency, Psychic Investigation
—A business specializing in the containment and destruction of
ghosts
. There are more than a dozen agencies
in London alone. The largest two (the Fittes Agency and the Rotwell Agency) have hundreds of employees; the smallest (Lockwood & Co.) has three. Most agencies are run by adult supervisors,
but all rely heavily on children with strong psychic
Talent
.

Apparition
—The shape formed by a
ghost
during a
manifestation
. Apparitions usually mimic the shape of a dead person,
but animals and objects are also seen. Some can be quite unusual. The
Specter
in the recent Limehouse Docks case manifested as a greenly glowing king cobra, while the infamous
Bell Street Horror took the guise of a patchwork doll. Powerful or weak, most ghosts do not (or cannot) alter their appearance.

Aura
—The radiance surrounding many
apparitions
. Most auras are fairly faint, and are seen best out of the corner of the eye. Strong,
bright auras are known as
other-light
. A few ghosts radiate black auras that are darker than the night around them.

Chain net
—A net made of finely spun
silver
chains; a versatile variety of
Seal
.

Changer**
—A rare and dangerous
Type Two ghost
, powerful enough to alter its appearance during a
manifestation
.

Chill
—The sharp drop in temperature that occurs when a ghost is near. One of the four usual indicators of an imminent
manifestation
, the
others being
malaise, miasma
, and
creeping fear
. Chill may extend over a wide area, or be concentrated in specific cold spots.

Cluster
—A group of
ghosts
occupying a small area.

Cold Maiden*
—A gray, misty female form, often wearing old-fashioned dress, seen indistinctly at a distance. Cold Maidens radiate powerful feelings of
melancholy and
malaise
. As a rule, they rarely draw close to the living, but exceptions
have
been known.

Corpse-bell
—A deep-toned bell rung in churches to announce funerals.

Corpse-light
—A pale and sickly supernatural radiance; another name for
other-light
.

Creeping fear
—A sense of inexplicable dread often experienced in the build-up to a
manifestation
. Often accompanied by
chill,
miasma
, and
malaise
.

Curfew
—In response to the
Problem
, the British government enforces nightly curfews in many inhabited areas. During curfew, which begins
shortly after dusk and finishes at dawn, ordinary people are encouraged to remain indoors, safe behind their home
defenses
.

Death-glow
—An energy trace left at the exact spot where a death took place. The more violent the death, the brighter the glow. Strong glows may persist
for many years.

Defenses against ghosts
—The three principal defenses, in order of effectiveness, are
silver, iron
, and
salt
.
Lavender
also affords some protection, as do bright light and running
water
.

DEPRAC
—The Department of Psychic Research and Control. A government organization devoted to tackling the
Problem
. DEPRAC investigates
the nature of
ghosts
, seeks to destroy the most dangerous ones, and monitors the activities of the many competing
agencies
.

Ectoplasm
—A strange, variable substance from which
ghosts
are formed. In its concentrated state, ectoplasm is very harmful to the
living.

Fetch**
—A rare and unnerving class of
ghost
that appears in the shape of a living person, usually someone known to the onlooker. Fetches
are seldom aggressive, but the fear and disorientation they evoke is so strong that most experts classify them as
Type Two
spirits, to be treated with extreme caution.

Fittes Manual
—A famous book of instruction for ghost-hunters written by Marissa Fittes, the founder of Britain’s first psychic
investigation
agency
.

Ghost
—The spirit of a dead person. Ghosts have existed throughout history, but—for unclear reasons—are now increasingly common. There are
many varieties; broadly speaking, however, they can be organized into three main groups (
See
Type One, Type Two
,
Type Three
). Ghosts always linger
near a
Source
, which is often the place of their death. They are at their strongest after dark, and most particularly, between the hours of midnight and two a.m. Most are
unaware or uninterested in the living. A few are actively hostile.

Ghost-bomb
—A weapon consisting of a
ghost
trapped in a
silver-glass
prison. When the glass breaks, the spirit emerges
to spread fear and
ghost-touch
among the living.

Ghost-cult
—A group of people who, for a variety of reasons, share an unhealthy interest in the returning dead.

Ghost-fog
—A thin, greenish-white mist, occasionally produced during a
manifestation
. Possibly formed of
ectoplasm
, it
is cold and unpleasant, but not itself dangerous to the touch.

Ghost-jar
—A
silver-glass
receptacle used to constrain an active
Source
.

Ghost-lamp
—An electrically powered streetlight that sends out strong white beams to discourage
ghosts
. Most ghost-lamps have shutters
fixed over their glass lenses; these snap on and off at intervals throughout the night.

Ghost-lock
—A dangerous power displayed by
Type Two ghosts
, possibly an extension of
malaise
. Victims are sapped of
their willpower, and overcome by a feeling of terrible despair. Their muscles seem as heavy as lead, and they can no longer think or move freely. In most cases, they end up transfixed, waiting
helplessly as the hungry ghost glides closer and closer….

Ghost-mark
—A cross painted on the door of a haunted building to keep passers-by away.

Ghost-touch
—The effect of bodily contact with an
apparition
, and the most deadly power of an aggressive
ghost
.
Beginning with a sensation of sharp, overwhelming cold, ghost-touch swiftly spreads an icy numbness through the body. One after another, vital organs fail; soon the body burns bluish and starts
to swell. Without swift medical intervention, often in the form of adrenaline injections to stimulate the heart, ghost-touch is usually fatal.

Gibbering Mist*
—A weak, insubstantial
Type One
, notable for its deranged and repetitive chuckling, which always sounds as if it’s
coming from behind you.

Glimmer*
—The faintest perceptible
Type One
ghost. Glimmers manifest only as flecks of
other-light
flitting through the
air. They can be touched or walked through without harm.

Gray Haze*
—An ineffectual, rather tedious
ghost
, a common
Type One
variety. Gray Hazes seem to lack the power to form
coherent
apparations
and manifest as shapeless patches of faintly glinting mist. Probably because their
ectoplasm
is so diffuse, Gray Hazes do not cause
ghost-touch
, even if a person walks through them. Their main effects are to spread chill, miasma, and unease.

Greek Fire
—Another name for
magnesium flares
. Early weapons of this kind were apparently used against
ghosts
during the
days of the Byzantine (or Greek) Empire, a thousand years ago.

Haunting
—
See
Manifestation

Iron
—An ancient and important protection against
ghosts
of all kinds. Ordinary people fortify their homes with iron decorations, and
carry it on their persons in the form of
wards
. Agents carry iron
rapiers
and chains, and so rely on it for both attack and defense.

Lavender
—The strong sweet smell of this plant is thought to discourage evil spirits. As a result, many people wear dried sprigs of lavender, or burn it
to release the pungent smoke. Agents sometimes carry vials of lavender water to use against weak
Type Ones
.

Limbless**
—A swollen, misshapen variety of
Type Two ghost
, with a generally human head and torso, but lacking recognizable arms and
legs. With
Wraiths
and
Raw-bones
, one of the least pleasing
apparitions
. Often accompanied by strong sensations of
miasma
and
creeping fear
.

Listening
—One of the three main categories of psychic
Talent
.
Sensitives
with this ability are able to hear the voices
of the dead, echoes of past events, and other unnatural sounds associated with
manifestations
.

Lurker*
—A variety of
Type One ghost
that hangs back in the shadows, rarely moving, never approaching the living, but spreading strong
feelings of anxiety and
creeping fear
.

Magnesium flare
—A metal canister with a breakable glass seal, containing magnesium, iron, salt, gunpowder, and an igniting device. An important agency
weapon against aggressive
ghosts
.

Malaise
—A feeling of despondent lethargy often experienced when a
ghost
is approaching. In extreme cases this can deepen into dangerous
ghost-lock
.

Manifestation
—A ghostly occurrence. May involve all kinds of supernatural phenomena, including sounds, smells, odd sensations, moving objects, drops in
temperature, and the glimpse of
apparitions
.

Miasma
—An unpleasant atmosphere, often including disagreeable tastes and smells, experienced in the run-up to a
manifestation
. Regularly
accompanied by
creeping fear
,
malaise
, and
chill
.

Night watch
—Groups of children, usually working for large companies and local government councils, who guard factories, offices, and public areas after
dark. Though not allowed to use
rapiers
, night-watch children have long
iron
-tipped spears to keep
apparitions
at bay.

Operative
—Another name for a psychic investigation agent.

Other-light
—An eerie, unnatural light radiating from some
apparitions
.

Phantasm**
—Any
Type Two ghost
that maintains an airy, delicate, and see-through form. A Phantasm may be almost invisible, aside from its
faint outline and a few wispy details of its face and features. Despite its insubstantial appearance, it is no less aggressive than the more solid-seeming
Specter
, and all the
more dangerous for being harder to see.

Phantom
—Another general name for a
ghost
.

Plasm
—
See
Ectoplasm

Poltergeist**
—A powerful and destructive class of
Type Two ghost
. Poltergeists release strong bursts of supernatural energy that can
lift even heavy objects into the air. They do not form
apparitions
.

Problem, the
—The epidemic of hauntings currently affecting Britain.

Rapier
—The official weapon of all psychic investigation agents. The tips of the
iron
blades are sometimes coated with
silver
.

Raw-bones**
—A rare and unpleasant kind of
ghost
, which manifests as a bloody, skinless corpse with goggling eyes and grinning teeth. Not
popular with agents. Many authorities regard it as a variety of
Wraith
.

Relic-man/relic-woman
—Someone who locates
Sources
and other psychic artifacts and sells them on the black market.

Salt
—A commonly used defense against
Type One ghosts
. Less effective than
iron
and
silver
, salt is
cheaper than both, and used in many household deterrents.

Salt-bomb
—A small plastic throwing-globe filled with
salt
. Shatters on impact, spreading salt in all directions. Used by agents to drive
back weaker
ghosts
. Less effective against stronger entities.