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The Man in the Basement

Scott Henderson

 FormatISBN Price  
This Book is Available Paperback (5x8)9780759650510 £ 10.75  
About the Book

On August 11,1999, Druids from all over Europe congregated in Cornwall, England, for the last solar eclipse of the millenium. Some believed that the spirit of Merlin would return that day to be reincarnated. Merlin, a Druid, had died near there during a solar eclipse in 450 AD.

Phillip and Elizabeth Poole had their baby in Cornwall that day, the only baby to be born during the total darkness of the eclipse. They did not question the significance of these circumstances until their son, Morgan, was fourteen. Then, while undergoing treatment for leukemia, he developed disturbing, recurrent dreams. In these dreams, Morgan guarded a basement door, trying to prevent a man in that basement from getting out.

When the Pooles discovered that this dream represented the emergence of a foreign spirit within their son, they consulted with both conventional and paranormal spiritual advisors. As the dreams intensified and the spirit grew stronger, so did the efforts of the Pooles to extricate this spirit. After Morgan predicted the grizzly, ritualistic murder of a prominent environmentalist and became a suspect of the crime himself, the Pooles reached deeper into the paranormal underground for help. This triggered a chain of events that led to the climactic ending at Stonehenge, the ancient Druid temple.

About the Author

It was his imagination and varied interests that led Scott Henderson to writing. Originally trained as a biomedical engineer, he worked in Chicago for three years with the prototype CT scanner. After publishing one of the first books on CT brain scans, he moved on to medical school at the University of Minnesota. Henderson became board-certified in several medical specialties, and started a medical software company. His interests include portrait painting, woodcarving, and vineyard management. He continues to practice medicine and acts as a consultant to the healthcare industry in Atlanta. His next novel will relate to the human genome project.

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When Phillip received the call from Detective Lundgren to come to the station house for another interview, he was devastated. A dozen scenarios went through his head. Perhaps Treadwell had called the police and told them about Morgan’s dreams. Maybe this was a trap. Maybe the police would ask Morgan leading questions about the rally, waiting for him to lie. Then Treadwell and the dream lady would come out from behind the two-way mirror and expose him. Just like the TV shows. It was common knowledge that the chief of police was desperate for an arrest. After pacing the floor for an hour, he called Morgan and Elizabeth.

"What is it, Phillip? What’s the matter?" Elizabeth could see the strain in his eyes.

"Come in. Sit down. You, too, Morgan. I got a call today from the police. They want Morgan and I to come downtown for another interview."

"What? Why?" Elizabeth stood up.

"Sit down. We have to talk about this. If they find out that we know more than we’ve told them, we will look suspicious. I think we need to tell them the truth."

"You mean about the dreams?" Morgan was trying to think of a way out of this. "No, Dad, I can’t tell them! No way!"

"Morgan, listen. A woman has been murdered. You and I know things that might help them find the killer. The longer we remain silent the more it looks like we were involved." Morgan got up and left the room.

That night, Phillip couldn’t sleep. He knew that the news about the police had upset Morgan and would likely trigger an escalation of the dreams. He stared at the ceiling until three o’clock. Then he heard the voice.

Phillip gently shook Elizabeth’s shoulder. "Honey. Honey, wake up. It’s the dream." They got up and walked to Morgan’s room and listened at the door. It was quiet. They exchanged glances, and Phillip slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door open.

As the door slowly swung open, the outlines of the room could be seen in the dim moonlight. Morgan was sitting in the chair next to his bed, looking straight at Phillip and

Henderson – 68

The Man in the Basement

Elizabeth without expression. In his hand was the two faced Druid figure, and he was slowly, repeatedly, tapping it into his other palm.

"Come in," said the voice.

"Oh, my God! Phillip! It’s him!" Elizabeth backed up until her back hit the wall.