Some rays of light danced and sparked around its surface whilst others seemed to be sucked into a whirling cascade of rainbows inside the skull. The effect was stunning and utterly hypnotic. However, I had absolutely no idea as to what the object may be or what it was made from. My initial feeling (based on an examination of the other documents and books with the skull; which were dated between 1860 and 1950) was that it probably a 1930s art deco ornament, molded from glass.

I spent the remainder of the day in a bit of a daze. I simply couldn't believe that I'd been lucky enough to accidentaly happen upon such a beautiful object and aware that I'd already begun to form a strange but intense bond with the skull. That evening, when I went to bed, I placed the skull on my bedside table so that I could look at it as I went to sleep. What followed were two of the most powerful dreams of my life.

The level of the river by which I stood was much lower than it had once been. Although still flowing freely and of a healthy appearance, the waters had receded to a shallow channel only about twenty feet wide. On either side of this narrow strip of water, sandy banks sloped gently up to what had once been the river's normal level. Beyond the sand, a strip of grassy scrub, perhaps one hundred feet in length and strewn with dead bushes sloped upwards and merged into a fairly dense wooded area at the top of the hill. Through the trees a brilliant and huge sun was rising (or setting) and the whole scene was coloured with magnificent reds and oranges.

I noticed movement in the trees and slowly a group of about two dozen individuals; small and walking upright, but not quite human looking creatures ambled down towards the water. They seemed to act as a group and various grunts and gestures of communication were being passed between various individuals. At least some were holding sticks and bones. A great deal of caution was being shown in their descent. It was clear that they were very nervous. Obviously, I assumed that it was myself that they had come to investigate. Stood as I was in full view at the other side of the river. I was somewhat alarmed but was too fascinated to move. However, and much to my relief, as the leading figure got to the water I realized that their attention was being directed towards an enormous scallop like object partially submerged beneath the water. This was about four feet long and resembled a scallop shell (like the one Venus is depicted as emerging from.) Its surface was very smooth and looked to have been sprayed with a dull, metallic silver coloured paint. As more and more of the people gathered around the ovoid, there excitement, agitation and noise level rose to a loud cackle. Eventually, one of them rushed forward and hit it with a large stick. Immediately a very loud and high pitched wail started. This was a wall of noise that blotted everything else out. I clawed at my head to try and lessen the pressure and pain. The group scattered back into the trees and I woke up still thrashing around, screaming and covered in sweat.

I got up and made myself a cup of coffee. It was now about 4 A.M. and I had to be up early for work that morning. When I returned to my bed I placed a tea towel over the skull and went back to sleep.

At 7 A.M., my alarm went off and I got up. Feeling very disorientated I walked into the bathroom and ran a bath. There was something strange about the sound of the running water. It sounded very harsh, dissonant and unnatural. Something was wrong, but I just couldn't figure out what. I struggled very hard to think clearly and suddenly realized that the noise wasn't my bath-water, it was my alarm clock. I had been dreaming. I hadn't really got up at all, yet!

So, feeling even more groggy, I dragged myself out of bed again and headed towards the bathroom. This time, the bath seemed to be filling quite normally. I turned to the sink and started to brush my teeth. There was something strange about the sound of the running water. It sounded very harsh, dissonant and unnatural. Something was wrong, but I just couldn't figure out what. I struggled very hard to think clearly and suddenly realized that the noise wasn't water gushing out of the tap, it was my alarm clock. I had been dreaming. I hadn't really got up at all, yet!

For the third time that morning I got up. All went well until I got downstairs and put the kettle on. The sound of this boiling turned into my alarm clock going off and I was back in bed. The time after that, it was the noises made when I washed my breakfast pots which turned into the alarm clock going off. The time after that it was the sound of my cat meowing to be fed...

At 8:30 A.M. I was sat in a deserted office, smoking a cigarette. So far that morning I had turned off the alarm system twice; drove into work three times; picked up four morning papers; filled the car with petrol five times; fed my cat six times; washed-up seven sets of dirty pots; eaten eight cooked breakfasts; dressed nine times; brushed my teeth ten times, and had enjoyed eleven baths. I had absolutely no idea if I was asleep or awake, nor any means of differentiating between the two states. I was acutely sensitive of every small noise, lest it turn into my alarm clock going off and setting the entire cycle off again. 'Reality' as I knew and understood it, has never quite been the same since.

Over the following weeks I showed the skull to several of my friends and colleagues. During these early weeks with the skull I experienced a series of vivid and intense dreams. Bizarre coincidences started to occur around me. I started to feel... different, in some indefinable way. These weird occurrences were not just restricted to me. Just about everyone who had been in contact with the skull rang me, describing similar things happening to them. Amongst the very first individuals to see it was a lady named Divina Swan. She runs a small but dedicated group devoted to the raising of human spirituality. As such, she was acquainted with many local Mediums and Psychics and I was persuaded to get several local Psychics involved, who would do some 'Channelling' with the skull (The information derived from these sessions is described elsewhere on these web-pages.)

Whilst all this was happening, the local grapevine went into overdrive. Speculation was rife in the community. Letters and questions were being asked in the local and regional newspapers. It occurred to me that, whatever the skull was, I really ought to sort out some insurance and safe storage for it. The natural place to start was my my local bank. I was pretty certain that this procedure would be a matter of a quick phone call and a form to fill in. How wrong I was. And as a result of my contact with the bank, matters took a very strange and unexpected turn.