The Strange Case of Forsythe P. Jones
Being an account of Archibald Andrews
1
It had been some years since I had
walked the streets of Riverdale, being away seeking my fortune in the wild
Pacific islands trading with the natives for various curious treasures. I was
returning to wed my childhood sweetheart, as soon as I decided between
Elizabeth Cooper and the wealthy Veronica Lodge. I had
wired ahead seeking accommodations with my childhood friend Forsythe Jones. We both attended history classes at the RAU*,
it was there he earned the nickname “Jughead” for having a fondness for Grecian
urns. Riverdale was a classic
Massachusetts harbor town that didn’t seem to have aged in over a hundred years. The sun was setting on the bay when I arrived
at the Jones residence to find that Forsythe was still at the university,
apparently obsessed with some new translation of a piece of pottery I had sent
over three months ago. His father let me
in and showed me to my guest room. I had
intended to freshen up and go out to see old “Jughead” and find out what he had
discovered, but fatigue overtook me and I slept. It was after midnight that I was awoken by
some unusual sound and once I gathered my wits I sought out the source. I soon found myself in the Jones’ kitchen
where a terrible sight lay before me. It was Forsythe, seemingly possess of a
terrible hunger, attempting it seemed to consume the entire of their
larder. The sound I had heard was a
shattered jar of some jam that he was now scooping off of the floor and shoving
into his mouth. I called out to him,
quietly at first, then shouting his name in a more forceful manner he soon came
to himself and whimpered my name. He
then collapsed in the filth on the kitchen floor and wept. I helped him to his feet and together we set
about cleaning up the debris. We were
done soon enough and I escorted him to his bed.
He offered no word of protest and as he drifted off to sleep I heard him
whisper distinctly the word ‘crown’. I
watched over him for a time before returning to my quarters where I lay awake until
first light.
*RAU is the acronym for the Riverdale annex of Arkham University.
