Alchemy of Secrets

During a date, graduate student Holland St. James spots a poster that reminds her of the Watch Man, an urban myth from her Folklore 517 class, which is taught by a woman who goes only by the title of the Professor. Noticing a shop called Curios & Clockwork, Holland feels compelled to enter and leads her date, Jake, inside. Although she remembers the Professor’s rule never to discuss the content of the Folklore 517 classes, she decides to trust Jake and explains the urban legend of the Watch Man, a mysterious figure who tells people when they will die.

Inside, Holland tells the store assistant that she wants to ask the Watch Man the time. Holland and Jake each complete a form with their personal information.

The next morning, Holland wakes disoriented and notices that Jake has not texted. She receives a message from Adam Bishop, a new faculty member on the Folklore Program, asking to meet. Suspecting that Adam may be looking for a teaching assistant, Holland resolves to decline the role as she loves her job showing old movies at the Coffee Lab. Holland’s passion for film began when she saw The Wizard of Oz at the age of four. Afterward, her father set her a treasure hunt to find a pair of ruby slippers like Dorothy’s.

Holland calls her twin sister, January, who is in Spain. January sounds uncharacteristically subdued. Their exchange is interrupted by the doorbell. A stranger named Manuel Vargas is at the door with a package and a business card for the First Bank of Centennial City. Vargas explains that Holland’s father leased a safety deposit box 15 years ago, and the Bank will destroy it in 24 hours if unclaimed. He warns her not to tell anyone about his visit.

In the second session of Folklore 517, the Professor explains the legend of the devil, who frequents a Los Angeles hotel. The only way to get one of his black-and-gold business cards—good for one wish—is to buy him a Sidecar cocktail. After a deal is made, the writing on the card disappears.

Holland meets Adam Bishop, who declares he is her new thesis advisor. He is younger and more attractive than she expected, and during their meeting, Holland’s nose bleeds. Adam says he has replaced the Professor, whom he calls dishonest. He praises Holland’s prose but critiques her thesis, which argues that the devil was responsible for the deaths of several Hollywood stars who reneged on deals with him. Adam orders her to choose a new topic.

Angered, Holland leaves and tries to reach the Professor, but the call fails. She then uses Manuel Vargas’s card to contact the First Bank of Centennial City and request an appointment to view her father’s box.

The class meets at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, outside the mausoleum of Isla Saint and Benjamin J. Tierney, a famous couple who died 15 years ago. Tierney was a visionary filmmaker, and Saint was an acclaimed actress. Describing their untimely deaths, the Professor claims that the reported murder-suicide was a cover-up for a deal with the devil. She asserts that Hollywood was “built on favors from the devil” (36).

Holland arrives at the Hollywood Roosevelt, hoping to encounter the devil and buy him a Sidecar. She wants to prove that her mother was innocent and that her parents’ death was the result of a deal with the devil. Her friend and classmate, Cat, joins her, followed by their friend, Eileen Cheng. Eileen works as a personal assistant, and an NDA prevents her from disclosing her employer’s identity. They see their friend, former child actor Chance Garcia, with a small crowd of fans. Holland steps away to check a voicemail from the First Bank of Centennial City. Padme Davani from the Bank confirms Holland’s 9:45 am appointment to open her father’s box.

The morning after a class, you wake up unable to remember the previous night’s lecture. A friend confirms via text that they cannot recall it either. In your notebook, you find the faint imprint of erased notes describing a legendary Bank that only takes clients by appointment, cannot be breached, and guards the most secure vaults in the world.

Still at the Roosevelt, Holland unsuccessfully tries to contact January. Jake calls in a panic, claiming the Watch Man has predicted that his death will occur at 6:47 pm that night. He begs Holland to come to his apartment, and she agrees. As she returns to her friends, Holland looks to the mezzanine and sees a man in a white dinner jacket who resembles an older, harder version of Adam Bishop. He studies her intently, then vanishes. Holland suffers another nosebleed. As she exits the hotel, she runs into Chance Garcia, who tells her to be careful.

Holland reaches Jake’s apartment complex just before sunset. A disheveled Jake admits his name is fake and that he was hired for a job. He tells Holland the Watch Man offered him a deal: Avoid his 6:47 pm death by killing her instead. When he grabs for Holland, she wrenches free and runs, kicking off her heels to move faster through the complex.

Lost, Holland calls Chance for help. She retraces her path and finds Jake dead on a walkway at the precise time the Watch Man foretold.

Holland stands over Jake’s body as the sprinkler system turns on. Despite Chance urging her to flee over the phone, she decides she needs answers and returns to the apartment. Inside, she finds mail addressed to Axel Jorgenson, Jake’s true identity. She also discovers a black folder with a gold art deco border, identical to the design on the devil’s business card.