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STATEMENT OF DANNA VILLSTILL, REGARDING HER HISTORY BEFORE THE INSTITUTE. STATEMENT GIVEN ON MAY 18TH 2017. AUDIO RECORDING BY Jonathan Sims, HEAD ARCHIVIST OF THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE, LONDON.
STATEMENT BEGINS
Do I start- okay.
Well, uh, when I was a kid, like really young, I'd say about five to six, I would hang around my parents' boats. They had a fleet that cost- oh, I don't know? A couple, maybe more, hundred thousand pounds? We weren't concerned about money, really. I wasn't, at least. That made me a bit of a brat in my younger years.
But we want to talk about the boats, right? Right.
The boats ranged in age. I think their oldest was one from the 60s. I didn't really care about the age, though. I just wanted them to take me to the middle of the water, where nothing could reach me. It was horrifying, yet relaxing. Something about being in a vast space where you can't see anything past the setting you're in is... breathtaking to say the least.
I never learned how to work those things, anyway, so I couldn't really get the weird excitement I wanted when I wanted. Though every weekend, my father would take me for a ride. We would always stay close to the land, to my dismay. I asked for him to go farther, but he never did go that far.
I was 10 when stuff started to get weird. My father left for a trip to... somewhere, but he was going on a boat. The company was paying for anyone who went on the boat, so, free ride, I guess. He was supposed to be gone for two weeks, but, well, he wasn't back.
I'll admit, I felt a bit sad that I couldn't go back on the water. It felt like a need at that point.
It was eight weeks of continuous calling, eight weeks of panic, eight weeks of tears before he came back. My father was different, though. Not like the strangers or whatever, he just seemed... distant. He was also more snappy. There were more arguments in the house. Normally, where weren't, any to my knowledge. But now, when they did, I could hear them.
We stopped visiting the water and boating altogether. Father's fleet slowly dwindled in numbers, but he at least kept that 60's boat. It would have felt even more strange if he had gotten rid of it.
The tension in the house didn't help, either. Father never talked, and if he did, it was about the 'man in the water.' He told me, "There was a man in the water, Danna. But it was no man, no. Man is the only way I can explain it. Danna. That was no human. It couldn't be a human. It was too- large. To..." he'd always go quite before he could finish.
I grew up. I got my first job, my first humbling, ect. It was kinda nice, I guess. Before I worked... here, I felt free? If that makes sense. Like I wasn't bound to whatever keeps us here. It was a better time.
While I was still in that- uh, time frame, those younger memories were pushed back. I was more worried about my job since my Father was making me pay rent. It was expensive because he thought that I would be able to handle it since I was his kid. I never really worked much in my childhood, so that was very stressful. I learned, though. I learned how to put on that fake smile at work so I didn't get fired for the fifth time.
But one night, as all these statements go, those buried memories came back because of a man. I didn't get his full name, but it was Simon... something. It was like Faris? He hid his face slightly, only allowing me to see his age. He was older, definitely. I could see those old wrinkles and gray hair peaking out.
"Related to Tony Villstill?" That wasn't a weird question. Many people have asked me that since my father had some friends. Some
I said sure since I was slightly uneasy. It's an old man approaching someone quite young. Why shouldn't I feel put off?
He gave a smile. It made it even weirder. The guy, Simon, said something about meeting my father and how he seemed a bit scared at the time. He probably met him after his work trip, I figured. He was very skittish after that trip.
Simon said something about getting me a drink, but I declined. I did not trust him. He was definitely weird. I bet there are some statements around here about him. If only I could remember his name. Yet, I didn't.
He still smiled after I declined and spoke about a few things. My memory is still a bit foggy, but there was something about... uhm. Sorry, sorry. Just something that- never mind. He said something about... the man in the water. It was like, uhm, in some phrases that I can't remember. I quickly asked about the man in the water, or what the hell he was talking about, and he said...
"I saw the man in the water along with your father." He was smiling as he continued. He explained that he much preferred the sky and what's up there rather than the ocean. But he didn't care too badly. Then he mentioned me.
"You would love the water," he said to me, "I mean, how much of your childhood was spent on there."
I haven't thought of those memories in a while. I don't know if I just suppressed them or something else. But the one thing I knew was that I should leave. So I did.
I said to Simon that I had a bus to catch and scurried off. I did not feel comfortable.
Then, a couple of months later, I ended up here at the institute. Elias gave the whole spiel and questions, some weird mentions of...those fleets, but my father was known to have those, so it isn't that weird. Asked me why I came here and I said... that I... wanted to figure out what happened to my father on that day. Still don't know why. It was so personal to say. Then again, doing this is very personal. I'm practically spilling out my guts to you. It- gah. I don't like it.
But yes, that's what led up to this point. Can we stop recording? It's making me feel more uneasy now.
STATEMENT ENDS