The Western Gate

A continuing exposé of the secret society of London whose aim is to spread by Machiavellian and subtle means discord and ruin. The first written document concerning the aforementioned society occurred in the post ‘The Perfumed Ponce of Mayfair’ which could be describe as passive mockery as opposed to the following account which would be more suited to be described as active manipulation.

That Mildred Pettigrew was an unassuming character had no bearing on why she was chosen as the subject of the Society’s latest ‘game’. Her name may well have been chosen from the random leafing of an electoral list or whatnot, in games of victimisation the guidelines are strict, that the ‘victim’ must not be known to any member of the society, in as much and of the same accord as the defendant in a court case must not be known by any member of the juror. This eradicates such concerns as compassion and of course bias. Also, by process of enquiry a cunning detective could feasibly link an assailant and the ‘victim’ and thus by following the cords on an evidence board, all roads would lead back to The Schadenfreude society.

Let us then examine briefly Mildred Pettigrew. She had no enemies, but this would not concern us as she also had few, if any, friends. She was alone in her station but also content as being socially isolated, no friends, and thus, no enemies.. It may well do to watch as she walks the roads for it gives an insight into her manner, or in another etymological construct, manna, or shall we say psyche. That she walks as if she had spent, and willingly it would seem, her teenage years being taught to walk in a proper and exact manner, by having a book placed upon her head, shoulders back and chin up. Refined perhaps would fit the first degree of how the world would at first glance perceive her.
She cared little for luxuries, and dressed according to comfort and regard for weather rather than to pose and peacock her way about the streets and avenues of London West-10.
Having established that her circle of friends were non-existent and that her acquaintances and colleagues were simply that, emotionally detached and players of necessity, the society begun its theatre.

At the time of this ‘trial’ the society numbered 33, and all were required to play a part in the drama. For most it would be little more than a chance meeting, perhaps a glaring stare, an act of surprise when encountering Ms Pettigrew.
All the members of the society were given aliases, in fact at initiation they were re-baptized by means of arsing from a pit of clay and given the pseudonym. Throughout this exposé then, each member as they appear will be noted by that given name.
The Society did not indulge in anything so crass as sacrifice or murder, rape or torture. These are the actions of the weak, and not the subtle art of cunning and weaving as practiced by our patrons of mayhem and manipulation. Murder is fleeting and true mastery lay in creating a path where the ‘victim’ is moulded and shape into a scenario, believing it to be of their will, their determination. The acts of murder, rape, torture and sacrifice thus are consigned to the vulgar.

The ‘act’ itself was simple enough, to convince Mildred Pettigrew that she were in fact a witch. Each member in turn should therefore act subtly or sometimes perhaps directly to accuse her of the self same condition until doubt gave way to certainty and she came to believe it herself.
Now each members script would of course differ. Some doing little more than staring wildly at her, disapprovingly or in horror and fear, hopefully to illicit a response form Ms.Pettigrew.
Others perhaps would be more direct. A street calling evangelist would shudder, halt his vitriol and spiel and wide eyed, declare, blatantly, “Witch ! ” When she walked across his path.
The Recce upon Ms. Pettigrews life has been sorted, noted and timetables drawn up.
It is imperative of course in such schemes that, for the most part, neither the participants nor their actions be recognised by Ms. Pettigrew as fraudulent. The events must appear to arise naturally through coincidence rather than seem contrived or deliberately orchestrated.
Some players, like our evangelist will be offered a single scene in the mission, others like ‘Forneus’, ‘Phenes’ and ‘Shax’ being passengers frequent on the bus or the underground train would thus play a more continuous and repeated scenario.
It would not arouse suspicion as is often the case that passengers establish themselves in the same seat, at the same time on the commute to work.
That Ms. Pettigrew appeared to be socially distant meant discourse was unlikely to be engaged, and if it did, the member would ask perhaps if she were known them, that she looked familiar, or indeed perhaps offer that there is something striking about ‘her’, was she famous an actress? Perhaps then, to expand the discourse that they sense a great deal of energy from her, eventually hopefully by means of logical deduction arriving at the fantastical conclusion, that she were a witch. However, given that Ms.Pettigrew seems to be introvert this strategy was highly unlike to be fulfilled.
As another example of the players on this stage, ‘Phenes’ for instance, would be adorned in attire most convincing of someone into the alternative arts, the supernatural, without overt display of the occult. She would hopefully engage in conversation with Ms. Pettigrew and feigning the part of rose-coloured glasses, head in the clouds new age dreamer could offer that MS. Pettigrew had a remarkable aura. It was not known of course how MS. Pettigrew would react on such a comment.

This mission began in 2014 about the winter Solstice when Saturn was standing in the constellation of Scorpio and it being the New Moon of Capricorn, Monday December 22nd.

Ms.Pettigrew was walking towards her train station, the week was short with Christmas holiday beckoning.
A man cast her a glance as he passed her, he looked again and then froze, staring straight and deeply into her eyes, fixed with abject horror. Ms. Pettigrew sidestepped and only with a swift glance behind noticed the man was standing rigid, following her every move with his eyes ablaze, astounded .
The actions of Ms.Pettigrew were little more than to dismiss this, wipe her face somewhat as a nervous response.
At the train station on Ladbroke Grove she looked back down the Avenue and saw the same man still mesmerised by her, except he was steadying himself upon someone’s front wall, as if in shock. For a brief moment she convinced herself that she must know him, but dismissed this thought and nervously instead entered the station and caught her usual train to Great Portland Street.
It was here, in the carriage of the 7:30 train she noticed a couple looking at her, they shared whispers, acted nervously. Ms.Pettigrew grew ever more uncomfortable, and, with the episode of the stranger on the Grove wondered somewhat if there was a mark or smear upon her, and again repeated the nervous response, wiped her face.
There were only six stations to her destination, but the restlessness of the passengers opposite her must have become increasingly unsettling, however our players reported that she remained remarkably calm and non-attentive to their actions.
At Portland Street she hurried off the train towards the Portland Street Hospital where she was employed in administration.
Her mind must have been busying itself with the encounters and before she were to settle down with work must have been eager to look upon her reflection of a mirror to see if there were any blemishes, if her skin was grey or flush, the opposing window on the train offered no clue and returned only a distorted view obscured by grime, filth and graffiti debris.
As it were, no more than 10 feet from the entrance to the hospital a beggar asked her for the price of a cup of tea, Ms.Pettigrew mumbled an apology but the tramp suddenly barked, “Who are you ! I know you…. “
It was at this point Ms.Pettigrew quickly turned to the pile of rags in human form, rebuffed and said, ” I don’t think so,” before she hoped to escape into the foyer of the hospital, except, as she dismissed the tramp he simultaneously collapsed, as if she had assaulted him, “she cursed me ! ” he cried, stumbling, and running off towards the busy Marylebone road checking frequently if Ms.Pettigrew were following him.
Clearly deranged, paranoid,, clearly to be disregarded but there must have also been the birth of a nagging enquiry in Ms.Pettigrew’s mind.
The Four actors thus far had played their part well that first day. To avoid the risk of being contrived the tramp and the alarmed pedestrian on Ladbroke Grove were no longer required to act in this drama, though the passengers would be afforded the right to revisit the act, being as they were regular commuters on the 7:30 train from Ladbroke Grove.
As it were Christmas week, the incidents were a foretaste of what was to come, a preliminary exercise, shots across the bow. As it were only a couple of fellow conspirators were used in the weeks running up to the ne year. These merely being the aghast and startled witnesses walking in Ms.Pettigrews path. Each encounter worried Ms.Pettigrew surely, but still she thought, so it seems, little of the incidents with the exception of the tramp who had accosted her outside her place of work, that must have disturbed her being as it was nearly a physical inetraction.

At the annual new years soiree, members of the society gathered to compare notes and reason on the probable effects the experiment was having upon Ms.Pettigrew. It should be added that this particular exploration wasn’t the only rite the society were embarking upon, indeed from the commencement of the new moon there were at least a dozen different plots being undertaken, six of which were ongoing and the remainder commencing on that new moon close to the winter Solstice, being Called The Medial Hecate Moon.
The Ms.Pettigrew dabbling was however interesting because of her character. All the participants agreed thus far that she was formidable, self-confident and as Forneus said, ‘Fascinating’.
Forneus, paired with ‘Shax’ were the habitual passengers who shared the train with Ms.Pettigrew, he noted to the society how she observed them from the corner of her eye without drawing herself into the snare of being witnessed. She was, he remarked, “acutely aware of our posturing and whispering but it was almost as if she simply disregarded them completely.”

The following weeks, the members increased their acts, the stares, the feigning of being disturbed in her presence, the odd whisper served to be heard, “witch”, another passenger,~Ronove said in hissed tones of a warning serpent, Ronove was on the train reading a book on witchcraft and frequently cross referenced what she were reading with Ms.Pettigrew sitting opposite and made sure Ms.Pettigrew saw this. As Ronove got up she gave Ms.Pettigrew a horrified look, Ms.Pettigrew blank face returned without questioning or alarm. “Witch.” Hissed Ronove again.
The members of the society agreed at the first New Moon of 2015, known as The Emerging Hecate Moon~ viz: Jan 21st, that Ms.Pettigrew far from being shaken or showing signs of paranoia still dismissed all the actions, in fact more than dismissed, they had no concern for her at all.

It was time to bring in the big gun, the member known as ‘Astaroth’ was to play the evangelical card. He positioned himself under the bridge by Ladbroke Grove station and awaited for Ms.Pettigrew to enter the arena.
She approached, as expected some minutes before half past seven at which point Astaroth began his mighty tirade, hellfire, brimstone, repent repent repent .
Ms.Pettigrew began to slow as she approached the strange and hollering figure under the bridge who was now being watched by some giggling schoolgirls, a dishevelled looking wretch of a boy whose tracksuit bottoms were nearing his knees rather than his midriff and two shop staff from the nearby shop having a cigarette break, all looked at the evangelist now declaring the “End times are here. Now.”
Ms.Pettigrew was now in his direct sight, at which point, on cue, Astraoth stopped his tirade, stared bluntly at Ms.Pettigrew. “Babylon !” he cried, “The witch is amongst us !!” and, now pointed a shaking finger at her. Ms.Pettigrew did little more than sighed and raised her eyebrows.
“Witch !!” he now implored and the small assembled crowd too looked towards Ms.Pettigrew still striding forward, cornered somewhat, under siege.
” Thou countenance, clothed with sun…”
Ms.Pettigrew stopped trying to swerve around him. Stood still. Almost upon tiptoe looked deep into Astaroth’s eyes, ” I am what you say, I do not need to declare myself so, nor demand to be heard.”

Thus, the battle was ended.

The following is the summary written by the Grand Secretary of the Schadenfreude Society ( N&N chapter) on the 3rd Feb 2015;-

Account No: 102.
December 21 2014 ~ January 23rd 2015
It was my original strategic intention, at the commencement of this particular dark chronicle, to furnish with a foreword — a preliminary intelligence briefing, if you will — wherein I should have disclosed, with the weary candour of a general surveying a battlefield that did not unfold as his campaign maps had promised, that the road ahead would not arrive at its intended destination. That the operation, so meticulously planned, so precisely executed, would find itself outmanoeuvred by forces unanticipated in even the most exhaustive of pre-mission reconnaissance.
I chose to withhold this counsel, lest the foreknowledge of forbearance diminish the theatre of what was to come — lest the reader, armed with the knowledge that the fortress would not fall as expected, lose the exquisite tension of watching the siege unfold.
Know only this — the cards were dealt long before the players took their seats at the table. The Society, for all its terrible ingenuity, its precision, its dark and patient craft, had not accounted for the most devastating weapon in any theatre of war — the indomitable and sovereign will of the enemy.
I thus propose a more thorough Understanding of the objectives and more so the territory and culture of any that we, the society, seek to test and measure in all future avenues of theatre.
…. Yours Fraternally, Your newly elected Grand secretary Invited/ proposed/ Installed and Raised as Elected on 28th Jan 2015:-
Mildred Pettigrew AKA BAel . On this Day Full Moon 2015 3rd Feb ( Persephone’s emergent Moon)