Lockwood & Co.: The Creeping Shadow (48 page)

Phantasm**
—Any
Type Two
ghost
that maintains an airy, delicate, and see-through form. A Phantasm may be almost invisible, aside from its faint outline and a few wispy details of its face and features. Despite its insubstantial appearance, it is no less aggressive than the more solid-seeming
Specter
, and all the more dangerous for being harder to see.

Phantom
—Another general name for a
ghost
.

Plasm
—
See
Ectoplasm
.

Poltergeist**
—A powerful and destructive class of
Type Two
ghost.
Poltergeists release strong bursts of supernatural energy that can lift even heavy objects into the air. They do not form
apparitions
.

Problem, the
—The epidemic of hauntings currently affecting Britain.

Rapier
—The official weapon of all psychic investigation agents. The tips of the
iron
blades are sometimes coated with
silver
.

Raw-bones**
—A rare and unpleasant kind of
ghost
, which manifests as a bloody, skinless corpse with goggling eyes and grinning teeth. Not popular with agents. Many authorities regard it as a variety of
Wraith
.

Relic-man/relic-woman
—Someone who locates
Sources
and other psychic artifacts and sells them on the black market.

Revenant**
—A fortunately rare variety of
Type Two ghost
in which the
apparition
can temporarily animate its own corpse and cause it to break free of its grave. Though Revenants generate powerful
ghost-lock
and strong waves of
creeping fear
, they are easy to deal with because their body
is
their
Source
, thus giving an agent plenty of opportunity to encase them in
silver
. Also, if the corpse is old, it usually falls to pieces before doing too much damage.

Salt
—A commonly used
defense
against
Type One ghosts
. Less effective than
iron
and
silver
, salt is cheaper than both, and used in many household deterrents.

Salt-bomb
—A small plastic throwing-globe filled with
salt
. Shatters on impact, spreading salt in all directions. Used by agents to drive back weaker
ghosts
. Less effective against stronger entities.

Salt-gun
—A device that projects a fine spray of salty water across a wide area. A useful weapon against
Type One ghosts
. Increasingly employed by larger
agencies
.

Screaming Spirit**
—A feared
Type Two ghost
, which may or may not display any kind of visual
apparition
. Screaming Spirits emit terrifying psychic shrieks, the sound of which is sometimes enough to paralyze the listener with fright, and so bring on
ghost-lock
.

Seal
—An object, usually of
silver
or
iron
, designed to enclose or cover a
Source
, and prevent the escape of its
ghost
.

Sensitive, a
—Someone who is born with unusually good psychic
Talent
. Most Sensitives join
agencies
or the
night watch
; others provide psychic services without actually confronting
Visitors
.

Shade*
—The standard
Type One
ghost
, and possibly the most common kind of
Visitor
. Shades may appear quite solid, in the manner of
Specters
, or be insubstantial and wispy, like
Phantasms
; however, they entirely lack the dangerous intelligence of either. Shades seem unaware of the presence of the living, and are usually bound into a fixed pattern of behavior. They project feelings of grief and loss, but seldom display anger or any stronger emotion. They almost always appear in human form.

Shining Boy**
—A deceptively beautiful variety of
Type Two ghost
that manifests as a young boy (or, more rarely, girl) walking in the center of cold, blazing
other-light
.

Sight
—The psychic ability to see
apparitions
and other ghostly phenomena, such as
death-glows
. One of the three main varieties of psychic
Talent
.

Silver
—An important and potent defense against
ghosts
. Worn by many people as
wards
in the form of jewelry. Agents use it to coat their
rapiers
, and as a crucial component of their
Seals
.

Silver-glass
—A special “ghost-proof” glass used to encase
Sources
.

Snuff-light
—A type of small candle used by psychic investigation
agencies
to indicate a supernatural presence. They flicker, tremble, and finally snuff out if a
ghost
draws near.

Source
—The object or place through which a
ghost
enters the world.

Specter**
—The most commonly encountered
Type Two ghost
. A Specter always forms a clear, detailed
apparition
, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Specters are less nebulous than
Phantasms
and less hideous than
Wraiths
, equally varied in behavior. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living—perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.

Stalker*
—A
Type One ghost
that seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at
Listening
often detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.

Stone Knocker*
—A desperately uninteresting
Type One
ghost
, which does precious little apart from tap.

Talent
—The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect
ghosts
. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the
night watch
. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the
agencies
. The three main categories of Talent are
Sight
,
Listening
, and
Touch
.

Tom O’Shadows*
—A London term for a
Lurker
or
Shade
that lingers in doorways, arches, or alleyways. An everyday urban
ghost
.

Touch
—The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or
haunting
. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of
Talent
.

Type One
—The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of
ghost
. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behavior. Commonly encountered examples include:
Shades
,
Lurkers
, and
Stalkers
.
See also
Bone Man
,
Cold Maiden
,
Floating Bride
,
Glimmer
,
Stone Knocker
,
Tom O’Shadows
, and
Wisp
.

Type Two
—The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of
ghost
. Type Twos are stronger than
Type Ones
, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are:
Specters
,
Phantasms
and
Wraiths
.
See also
:
Changer
,
Limbless
,
Poltergeist
,
Raw-bones
,
Revenant
and
Screaming Spirit
.

Type Three
—A very rare grade of
ghost
, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. Allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.

Visitor
—A
ghost
.

Ward
—An object, usually of
iron
or
silver
, used to keep
ghosts
away. Small wards may be worn as jewelry on the person; larger ones, hung up around the house, are often equally decorative.

Water, running
—It was observed in ancient times that
ghosts
dislike crossing running water. In modern Britain this knowledge is sometimes used against them. In central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protects the main shopping district. On a smaller scale, some homeowners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.

Wisp*
—Weak and generally unthreatening, a Wisp is a
Type One ghost
that manifests as a pale and flickering flame. Some scholars speculate that all ghosts, given time, degenerate into Wisps, then
Glimmers
, before finally vanishing altogether.

Wraith**
—A dangerous
Type Two ghost
. Wraiths are similar to
Specters
in strength and patterns of behavior, but are far more horrible to look at. Their
apparitions
show the deceased in his or her dead state: gaunt and shrunken, horribly thin, sometimes rotten and wormy. Wraiths often appear as skeletons. They radiate a powerful
ghost-lock
.
See also
Raw-bones
.

ALSO BY JONATHAN STROUD

LOCKWOOD & CO.

The Screaming Staircase

The Whispering Skull

The Hollow Boy

THE BARTIMAEUS BOOKS

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Golem’s Eye

Ptolemy’s Gate

The Ring of Solomon

Buried Fire

The Leap

The Last Siege

Heroes of the Valley

PRAISE FOR

THE LOCKWOOD & CO. SERIES

The Screaming Staircase

“Stroud (the Bartimaeus series) shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments). Stroud plays with ghost story conventions along the way, while laying intriguing groundwork that suggests that the Problem isn’t the only problem these young agents will face in books to come—the living can be dangerous, too.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Authentically spooky events occur in an engagingly crafted, believable world, populated by distinct, colorful personalities. The genuinely likable members of Lockwood & Co. persevere through the evil machinations of the living and the dead and manage to come out with their skins, and their senses of humor, intact. This smart, fast-paced ghostly adventure promises future chills.”

—
School Library Journal

“Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series…A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Stroud brings the seemingly disparate plot points together with his usual combination of thrilling adventure and snarky humor….all members of this spirit-smashing trio get in their fair share of zingers, providing a comedic balance to the many narrow escapes, false leads, and shape-shifting specters that otherwise occupy Lockwood & Co.”

—
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A 2013
Los Angeles Times
Book Prize Finalist for Young Adult Literature

2013 Cybil Award for Speculative Fiction

CCBC Choices List

2014 Edgar Award Nominee

A Junior Library Guild Selection

The Whispering Skull

“In fine form, Stroud sends Lockwood & Co. on a trail that leads from an upper-crust social event to the mucky margins of the Thames and into dust-ups with thugs, rival agents and carloads of ectoplasmic horrors that can kill with just a touch. For all their internecine squabbling, the three protagonists make a redoubtable team—and their supporting cast, led by the sneering titular skull in a jar, adds color and complications aplenty. Rousing adventures for young tomb robbers and delvers into realms better left to the dead.”