The Shady Plot

5.a. Jenkins had always called upon Hallock whenever he wanted a ghost story to be published in his magazine. Johns ghosts were live propositions as Jenkins called them. This time again Jenkins wanted Hallock to come up with another supernatural thriller, which would give the readers horrors and that is what the public wanted too

5.b. The narrator lacked the self confidence as he himself talked of how he didnt specialise in ghost stories; instead, he said that the ghost stories specialised in him. His first story had been a ghost fiction too; however, for that also he had to chase inspiration in vain for months. This all shows that the narrator was, though natural, an accidental ghost fiction writer. and other co-ghosts organised The Writers Insipiration Bureau because they felt there were many writers without ideas, however, with a vulnerable mind who were looking for an inspiration to write ghost stories. The bureau would assign a ghost to such a writer so that he/she could write good ghost stories.
5.c Helen 5.d. Helen provided

inspiration to the narrator to write ghost stories. She and coghosts were going on a strike because they were tired of answering questions of Ouija board fanatics. They felt they were disturbed too often to answer silly questions. She urged the narrator to influence his friends and acquaintances to stop using the Ouija board. It was on this condition she promised to help the narrator to write stories. 5.e. Helen tells the narrator that she had helped him write his ghost stories. She tells the narrator of the many times when she had leaned on the narrators shoulder and had given him ideas, when he was thinking hard while writing a ghost story. Helen tries to tell the narrator that had she not been there for him as a muse, he would not have been able to write good ghost stories.

5.f. Lavina is a sensitive woman and is subject to hysterics. If she sees John talking to a ghost she would lose it all. Lavinia is crazy about every new fashion and fad, so much feminine in nature that John fears the thought of how she would react in such a situation.

5.g. Helen, the ghost, had asked the narrator to influence his friends to stop using the Ouija board. It was only on this condition that Helen promised to help the narrator to write ghost stories. If Helen sees him now himself trying to communicate ghosts through Ouija board, he fears how and what she would do to him. That is why the narrator was reluctant to be a partner to Laura Hinkle during the Ouija Board party. 5.h. Helen called John a traitor as he bluffs her. He had promised Helen that he would convince his friends to stop contacting ghosts; rather here he himself was doing the same. She is annoyed and filled with anguish and so goes to everyones Ouija board one by one and tells that Mr. Hallock is a traitor. After this revelation everybody suspected John of cheating upon his wife, later John clarified to his wife and she even understood. 5.i. The narrator felt that everybody in the room was looking at him suspiciously. That is why he called the assembly of women manipulators. The women were not manipulating things. However, they were just reporting what was happening at their Ouija Board. 5.j. Johns wife is angry because she, like other women, believed what the spirit said through the Ouija board, about her husband. A woman even reported that Helen has called John a traitor. Lavinia thought that her husband was cheating on her. She decided to go to her grandmothers house. She also decided to separate from her husband.

5.k. John wished he was dead because a brief meeting with a ghost had created such situations that he was about to lose his wife, whom he loved dearly; it destroyed his happiness and home. 5.l. John assures his wife that his flirtations with Helen the ghost are above board. He tries to tell her that whatever that has happened between him and Helen is over the board of Ouija and there was nothing that he wished to hide from his wife; in fact there was nothing to tell. 5.m. John thought that his wife would become hysterical if she saw the ghost Helen; however, when the encounter happened, she confidently spoke to the ghost and was not at all scared of it.

Virtually True
3.a. The news article mentioned that a fourteen-year-old boy called Sebastian Shultz,
who had gone into a coma following the accident, had miraculously recovered. Michael was shocked to read this. When he saw the picture of Sebastian, he realised that he was the same person whom he had met in the virtual world and was trying to rescue him. Michael couldnt understand that how he could meet Sebastian if he was in coma.

3.b. Michaels chance meeting with Sebastian had taken place in the virtual world. He had met Sebastian for the first time in a game calledWildwest. 3.c. Michael and his dad had recently bought a Pentium 150 MHz processor, with 256 of RAM, a 1.2 GB hard disk drive and 16 speed CD ROM, complete with speakers, printer, modem and scanner. This computer could do anything: paint, play music, create displays and even make rubbish homework look fantastic. 3.d. The first place Michael was transported was the time period between the American Civil war and end of the 19th century. (mid 1830s-1920). Geographically, it was west America. Michael was playing a game called Wildwest where he was a Sheriff caught in a gun fight in a saloon.

3.e. Sebastian Shultz was in the virtual world when his accident took place. As a result he got stuck there. He encountered Michael in this virtual world. He wanted Michael to rescue him. He sent a message to Michael which appeared on his printer. 3.f. Michael couldnt rescue Sebastian the first time because before he could save him, he was shot by gunmen. 3.g. Sebastian chopped the princesss long plaits and tied them together to form a rope and managed to flee from the tower. He and Michael headed towards the dungeons. However, the dragon followed them. As they were going down the steps, the dragon appeared and caught Sebastian. Michael tried to kill the dragon but he had already taken Sebastian. Thus, the second attempt to save Sebastian failed as well. 3.h. Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a car accident. He had banged his head. When he was brought to the hospital, the doctors described his condition critical but stable. Despite doctors efforts Sebastian could not regain consciousness. He had gone into coma. 3.i. At the time of the accident, Sebastian was using his laptop to play one of the psychodrive games. He was plugged on to the computer when his head banged in the accident. The computer had saved his memory in its own. Thus, Sebastian had entered the games but could not come out of it.

3.j. At the time of the accident, Sebastian was plugged on to the computer. The computer had saved his memory in its own. When Sebastians family was in the hospital, somebody stole their whole lot of games. Some of them ended up at Computer Fair, where they were bought by Michael. Michael discovered this when he read an article on the internet about Sebastians miraculous discovery.