So it was that in early 1987, the revamped altered Spirit Box was unveiled to the paranormal society, lovingly nicknamed “The Crawford G”. At first, the results were similar to the original device but as the weeks passed by and as Pierce made alterations, eventually they were receiving clear constant communication with spirits. Apparently the group made many recordings of these sessions, the members having full meaningful conversations with the disembodied voices. Unfortunately none of these recordings survive to this day.

Pierce continued to fine tune the machine until the constant radio static needed for operations was quietened measurably so that the voices in the device could be more audible. Some of the members had even managed to contact their own loved ones who had passed, though Till and Sonia still had no luck with their Abatha. Pierce G. also had no such luck with his daughter.

It was at this stage in the machines altered state that the group began to hear something else. It was described as a low pitched constant hum that would last for the entirety of the sessions. At first it was speculated to be a hold over effect from the altered antenna. However as Pierce and Till investigated this mysterious hum, they found that it was some sort of signal, lying low in the rapid fragmented frequency. Till was intrigued by this discovery but Pierce was not as excited as his counterpart, showing hesitance in wanting to push further on the matter.

Where this reticence came from is not known. Needless to say, Pierce G. seemed to have his reasons and refused to alter the machine any further in order to investigate this mystery signal. So Till took it upon himself to try in his stead. He spent many an evening over the month of March 1987, tinkering with Pierce’s design and slowly discovered that the signal contained a message.

It played on a loop. That fact, Till would comprehend rather quickly. Listening closely to the broadcast, he discerned that although it seemed like one continuous sound, it was actually comprised of many different tones. With the help of Sonia, the two began to map out these tones which when complete defined a pattern. That pattern looked familiar to Till as it reminded him of old Morse code messages he’d seen as a kid. Taking a chance on his hunch, he translated the pattern using the code and indeed it revealed a set of what looked to be equations.

At a loss with what to do with these, Till went to Pierce and convinced him to help with the message. Pierce eventually relented, likely due to his own growing curiosity. He went about trying to fit the equation into a technical field and came to the conclusion that the message was a set of plans to alter the Crawford G further. Till was excited at the prospect, feeling that they were on the cusp of something great. However, Pierce G. refused to help with the matter. He warned Till not to get into something he didn’t fully understand. When pushed by Till to explain himself, Pierce gave the strong impression that he had been down this road before but would divulge nothing more.

The two men parted ways with Till beginning the further modifications on the Spirit Box as dictated by the mysterious message. Pierce G. left Columbus and moved on to parts unknown. As far as we’re concerned here, that’s the end of his involvement in this case. Nothing else is known of him.

PART 6