Ophannim

Ophannim now available in paperback on Amazon.

Part One of the “Unus Mundus” series, the “Ophannim” novella tells the otherworldly tale of how Alan Turing entered a time-slip whilst visiting Liverpool’s Bold Street in 1953. Invited to tea by his friend Jack Vallis, Turing is drawn into an occult world of psychic phenomena, where nothing is as it first appears.

Dear Alan,

The manifestations have increased in both power and frequency. Last night, a giant hand reached out from the portal and grasped me by the leg. The entity was the colour of purest alabaster, with a fine crystalline translucency. It seized the table, raised it into the vault, and then lowering it to the floor, pushed it into the shadows – a distance of at least six feet. By request, it seized my chair, and held me suspended for the space of nearly two minutes… The intelligent powers at the root of the phenomena have subjected me to considerable mental disturbance, although I can gain no insight into their true identity or purpose. Yet I am convinced that this new phase of materialization comes properly within the realm of scientific scrutiny…

The science of Spiritualism is the only reliable edifice to build upon. In my experience as a medium, I have found the spirits ever anxious and ready to give proof of their existence. But materialists remain reluctant and obstructive. Amongst men of science, I am nothing but a figure of ridicule. My latest paper on the æther, ‘Non-Lorentzian Geometry in Gravity and Anomalous Slips in Time,’ has been rejected by The Royal Society. The president debunked me as a dangerous fanatic, subject to extravagant delusions, which, in his “expert” opinion, constitute insanity. Yet I am determined to place my evidence before the world on a sound scientific basis. That is why I built TERGA – a machine for Trans-Dimensional Communication, or TDC for short.

I have satisfied myself that the Egyptians used a similar device in their initiations; in fact, the spirits have established this beyond question. The Royal Society has refused to let me demonstrate my machine in London, so I have decided to introduce it to the Masonic fraternity, here in Liverpool. Perhaps this is for the best, as only men pure in mind and body can control the device. I am sure the whiskey-soaked, tobacco-sodden professors at The Royal Society would only establish an atmosphere of fraud and trickery, to guide things in their direction. Most materialists are malicious, cunning men, who are capable of inflicting great harm on sensitives like me. However, you are noble man, whose mathematical turn of mind is both aesthetic and pure. Several times, I have seen a bright light shining above your head; and this phenomenon differs from any magnetic or so-called auric manifestation that I am more usually acquainted with. I am sure you would make a prime candidate for demonstrating TERGA. With this in mind, I invite you for tea on Friday, 17th April.

Your faithful friend,

Jack Vallis.

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Image: “Ophannim” paperback cover (pen and ink) © Nicholas Shea 2023.