Statement of Sasha James, assistant archivist at the Magnus Institute, regarding a series of paranormal sightings.
Statement
Sasha James is one of the assistant researchers who assists Jonathan Sims with the statements of the Magnus Archives. She had read the statements regarding Jane Prentiss, but did not view her as presently dangerous as Martin Blackwood had survived his encounter with her. Although Sasha has seen many of the silver worms outside, she has crushed them as she saw them.
Sasha lives in an old, Victorian building located near Finsbury Park. On 31st March 2016 she was leaving her flat when she saw a strange figure in the warped glass window in the stairwell of her building: there appeared to be a figure with a limp, boneless appearance and incredibly large, pointed hands staring at her from the street. When she looked at the figure through the unwarped glass she saw a man with long, blond hair purchasing lilies, but viewing him through the distorted glass gave him that same strange appearance.
She walked from Victoria Station to work and saw the same man in a coffee shop, but didn't confront him. After work, she saw him still seated in the café despite it usually being closed by that time. He motioned her to come inside and sit, and she obliged.
The two sat in silence until Sasha asked the man what he was. He gave a strange laugh and said it didn't matter, but that she could call him Michael. They again sat in silence until Sasha asked what he wanted, to which he replied he wanted to help. When asked if it meant helping to stop Jane Prentiss, Michael laughed and told Sasha she had no idea what was going on. It went on to say that he didn't care if her coworkers died, but that it wanted to be friends. Michael put his hand in Sasha's as he said this, and she noted that it felt unnaturally heavy and sharp. Upset by Michael's deflection and strange, inhuman form, Sasha got up to leave. It called after her to say that if she wanted to save John, Tim, or Martin, he would be waiting for her at Hanwell Cemetery.
Sasha did not mention her encounter to her coworkers. She went to Hanwell Cemetry the next evening after work, where she found Michael waiting for her. He guided her away from the cemetery and into the residential area of Azalea Close, finally stopping at an abandoned pub. Inside the pub, Sasha heard a low moan from a dark corner. There, she saw a man covered in writhing, silver worms and realised that the floor was also covered in the worms. She gasped, prompting the worms inside and surrounding the man to quickly move toward her.
Sasha stumbled away from the worms while Michael looked on passively. She grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and sprayed the worms. They immediately shrivelled and died, and she engulfed the worm-infested man in the CO2 gas. Once he stopped moving she went through his pockets and found a driving licence, identifying the man as Timothy Hodge. Michael stepped forward and reached into her shoulder, removing a small silver worm that Sasha hadn't noticed enter her skin.
Sasha's recollection becomes hazy after this; the next thing she remembered was that Michael and Timothy were gone. She returned to the Magnus Institute and accidentally woke Martin.
Post-Statement
John believes Sasha's statement, and remarks that it is strange that Timothy and Harriet Lee were affected differently. He also comments on Michael wanting to be friends with Sasha, as other encounters with the paranormal had been exclusively antagonistic. Sasha has taken a few days off and John is going to ask Elias for more CO2 fire extinguishers.
Continuity
ATTENTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!! This section contains information from later episodes of The Magnus Archives and may contain major spoilers for the setting and plot. Continue at your own risk. |
- Related Entities:
- Related Beings:
- Michael is The Distortion, a creature of The Spiral.
- The silver worms originate from Jane Prentiss, an avatar of The Corruption.
- Related Episodes:
- MAG 6: Timothy Hodge becomes infested with worms after having intercourse with Harriet Lee, a previous victim of Jane Prentiss.
- MAG 40: The tape for this statement and case 0051701 (MAG 24) are reported missing by Jonathan.
- MAG 78: The two statements were rediscovered by Jonathan and were instrumental to him realising that the person he assumed was Sasha was actually Not-Sasha.
- Sasha mentions that Timothy Stoker is obsessed with the architect Robert Smirke, this is likely due to his brother's exploration of the Covent Garden Theatre where he disappeared.
- This marks the first time Smirke is mentioned directly in the series.