Cystic Detective Update #10
Scattered thoughts on fascist Satanists, the Brazilian coup d'état, spooked up Ponzi schemes, press freedoms, and the need for researchers to have a little self-respect
Find other Cystic Detective Updates in the Table of Discontents.
“A cornucopia of carcinogenic ether,” Ruby Tuesday alerted Cystic Detective. He could not remember slipping into the vertical which was strange. Usually, he was plagued by a phantom limb sensation that made him feel as though he was grasping the handles of a nonexistent bathroom sink. It offered a sense of security even if immaterial—a tether to the real.
He is tripped up by vague flashes of past exploits, sometimes blinding: His attempt to exorcise a beady-eyed demon from the soul of a line cook as his twelve-year-old son watched on. The line cook was not possessed. The entire affair began with misreadings from friends and acquaintances who saw the malevolent in small gestures and statements. The line cook was merely melancholic. Cystic Detective doused him with holy water and recited verses. By the end, the line cook was catatonic.
Now he lived with Ruby Tuesday, one of hundreds of faces that floated around the vertical. When he unfocused his eyes, Cystic Detective saw a sky of bone white discs darting across the horizon.
Cystic Detective Updates are special reports for paid subscribers, documenting research efforts, personal thoughts on recent news, or other, loose tidbits and recommendations. It is typically reserved as a small offering for those who support the longer, denser, free articles and my current long-form project. As I’ve been gone too long, this Cystic Detective is on the house. For access to prior updates, as well as other archived articles and special podcast episodes, you can take advantage of a running offer: 25% off for life with the iconic “Reads to the End” discount. My thanks to those who help Getting Spooked live to fight another day.
