The Mystery of Theodosia Burr Alston: A Mini-Essay

     In December of 1812, Theodosia Burr Alston, the twenty-nine-year-old wife of South Carolina Governor John Alston, set sail from Georgetown aboard the schooner Patriot to visit her father, former vice-president Aaron Burr, in New York.[1] A month later, the abandoned vessel was found floating off Nags Head. As news of the incident spread, speculations grew. Some argued that the passengers and crew abandoned the schooner when she encountered a storm off Cape Hatteras, others believed that pirates pillaged the ship and slaughtered everyone, and a few contended that those aboard had been captured and sold into slavery, with Theodosia's renowned beauty swaying one of the pillagers into sparing her from the same fate and taking her as a bride.[2] In 1869, a New York doctor, William Pool, added an additional plot to the Patriot myth when he claimed that he had tended to an ailing old woman, who had been rescued from the sea by a fisherman and his wife and raised as their own daughter for decades. As payment for his services, Pool was allowed to take one item from the house. When he selected the portrait of a beautiful young women, the aged spinster leapt from the bed and grabbed it from his hands, screaming that it was a present for her father in New York and the doctor could not have it.[3] Despite claims by archaeologist James Michie that previous theories regarding the ship’s abandonment during a storm are the most plausible, popular folklore continues to this day, with local legends maintaining that the ghost of Theodosia, dressed all in white, meanders Huntington Beach on Nags Head as she perpetually revisits the sight of her death.[4] 

Works Referenced

Cawthorne, Nigel. Shipwrecks: Disasters of the Deep Seas. New York: Metro Books, 2013.
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[1] Cawthorne, 121.
[2] Cawthorne, 121.
[3] Cawthorne, 121.
[4] Cawthrone, 121.

Rice Krispies Cake

$20 - $25 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes one cake

For her birthday, a friend presented me with a baking challenge: "make me a cake without using any batter." After pondering the idea for a while, I settled on Rice Krispies treats. I selected a black-and-white color scheme; however, your version can be far more colorful - consider dying the marshmallow mixture with food coloring or using Fruity Pebbles for a polychromatic effect.  

• 12 Cups miniature marshmallows
• 12 Cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 6 Cups Cocoa Krispies cereal  
• 1 Cup butter
• 1 Cup dark chocolate chips

1. In large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter over low heat.

2. Add four cups of marshmallows to the butter and stir until they are completely melted.

3. Remove the mixture from the heat and add six cups of cereal, stirring until the cereal is well coated.

4. Press the mixture evenly into a greased baking pan and allow it to cool. Since you will stack each layer, consider resting a second pan on the top of the mixture to give it a level surface.

5. Repeat steps one through four with Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies to form two additional layers. You, of course, are free to incorporate as many tiers as you desire and in whichever flavors or colors you wish.

6. Once the layers have cooled, remove them from their pans and stack them. You could alternate colors, cut patterns into them with cookie cutters, or shape them into certain designs.

7. Combine chocolate chips with a tablespoon of butter and, in a double boiler, warm the mixture over low heat until it completely melts. To prevent it from burning, stir it repeatedly with a whisk.

8. Drizzle the cake plate and the top of the cake with the melted chocolate. Your application can be random and haphazard or planned and delicate.

9. For decorative touches, drizzle the remaining chocolate onto wax paper and freeze the designs overnight. Here, too, you can create chaotic clusters or intricate patterns.

10. Directly before serving, top the cake with a dollop of whipped cream and the frozen chocolate drizzles.  

"Yule Horror" (A Poem)

Although recently renamed “Festival” in modern anthologies, H.P. Lovecraft’s poem was first published as “Yule Horror” in the December, 1926, issue of Weird Tales.[1] Inspired by the publication’s editor, Farnsworth Wright, the work’s fourth stanza, which refers to Wright as “an abbot and priest” who attends a “devil-wrought feast,” was originally removed from the magazine because the editor felt its reference was too obvious to readers.[2]

There is snow on the ground,
And the valleys are cold,
And a midnight profound
Blackly squats o’er the wold;
But a light on the hilltops half-seen hints of feastings unhallow’d and old.

There is death in the clouds,
There is fear in the night,
For the dead in their shrouds
Hail the sun’s turning flight,
And chant wild in the woods as they dance round a Yule-altar fungous and white.

To no gale of earth’s kind
Sways the forest of oak,
Where the sick boughs entwin’d
By mad mistletoes choke,
For these pow’rs are the pow’rs of the dark, from the graves of the lost Druid-folk.

And mayst thou to such deeds
Be an abbot and priest,
Singing cannibal greeds
At each devil-wrought feast,
And to all the incredulous world shewing dimly the sign of the beast.[3]

Works Referenced

Joshi, S.T. and David Schultz. An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001.

Lovecraft, H.P. “Yule Horror.” Weird Tales 8.6 (1926): 846.

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[1] Joshi and Schultz, 92. 

[2] Joshi and Schultz, 92. 

[3] Lovecraft, 846.

Skull Candy Apples

$8 - $10 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes one platter containing three apples

The company I work for has an unofficial decorating contest between offices. For 2017, we decided to pull out all the stops and decorate the entire building. One of the rooms was a twisted circus. Although I have never been fond of the killer clown theme, the concept did give me a chance to explore the circus idea without relying too heavily on clowns. Since the display went up in the middle of September and did not come down until slightly after the start of November, I did not want to use actual food. I originally intended to use fake apples for this prop; however, I failed to find them in several craft stores. In a creative pinch, I used the skulls and, to be entirely honest, the final result is far more fun and intriguing.

• Three small, apple-size skulls
• One twelve-inch plastic charger
• One 3/16” wooden dowel
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in ravishing red*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in tropical mango*
• One 0.44 oz. bottle of clear nail polish*

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the skulls three coats of red paint. Depending on your desired coverage, you may want more or less. Likewise, you can use a glossy paint to give the props a shiner appearance. I elected to remove the mandibles from my skulls for aesthetic purposes; however, you are free to leave the items intact.

2. Cut the wooden dowel into three six-inch sections. To cater the prop to your specific theme, you can substitute the dowels for popsicle sticks or gnarled twigs.

3. Cut small holes in the tops of the skulls and insert the dowels. Although the hot glue in step four will hold them in place, you can use superglue or another adhesive for added support.

4. Use hot glue to create the caramel drip on the top of the skulls. You can fashion a simple puddle along the crowns or an elaborate dribble that trickles down the sides and onto the charger.

5. Give the dripping three coats of tropical mango paint. Although I used three coats, you may want more or less.

6. Use clear nail polish to give the paint a glossy appearance. I used two coats; however, you are free to apply as many coats as you feel necessary.

7. Glue the apples to the plastic charger. I used hot glue, but you can use superglue for a sturdier hold. You might consider purchasing a charger that is a different color than your apples or covering portions with multicolored paper to provide contrast.

8. For additional detail, use one of the distressed playing cards fabricated for the carnival signs or the “fun house” and “tickets” signs to fashion a label for the prop. To maintain consistency, use cherry cobbler paint and the same scratchy writing style for the wording.

9. Further touches can be added to amplify the prop’s appearance, such as plastic insects crawling on and around the apples or a few strategically placed severed ears and fingers.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.