Patient Admission Record – Confidential

File No.: 0559-D
Ward: Sub-Level Holding – Nocturne Unit
Date of Admission: October 14, 1885
Assigned Bed: Cell B-2 (No window)

Patient Name: Ambrose Teller
Age: 9
Place of Birth: Gloam's Hollow, RI
Next of Kin: Unknown; child found wandering near collapsed chapel ruins

PRESENTING SYMPTOMS:

• Intense, violent aversion to natural light; exposure causes screaming, convulsions, and blistering rashes

• Skin extremely pale; irises dilated even in darkness

• Speaks only in whispers, often in rhyme; refuses to raise voice above a murmur

• Frequently found hiding under beds, tables, or inside cabinets; attempts to "bury" himself in bedding or straw

• Draws elaborate maps of corridors and rooms he's never seen

NOTES FROM DR. HORACE FELL:

“The boy does not belong in daylight. His condition—photophobia in the extreme—has resisted all treatments. He claims the sun ‘burns the lies into his bones.’ His drawings depict rooms we have no record of constructing. One appears to show a spiral staircase leading beneath the sanitarium, though no such passage exists.”

“He asked me, unprompted: ‘Doctor, does your shadow talk back yet?’”

TREATMENTS ADMINISTERED:

• Controlled lantern exposure (1-minute intervals) – resulted in nosebleeds and disassociation

• Whisper therapy with Sister Miriam – ceased after she reported hearing a second voice answering Ambrose in the dark

• Mirror testing – patient does not appear in reflections for several seconds after entering view

• Attempted outdoor exposure under cloud cover – caused seizure and screaming in a language not identified

STATUS:

Current Location: Light-Sealed Room, Sub-Level B
Special Containment: No reflective surfaces; gas lamps removed
Incident Note: During winter blackout, patient disappeared from locked room. Found 2 hours later inside the wall of Room 5A, eyes wide, muttering:

“Light bends wrong here. It’s trying to find me again.”