Skeleton Creek

The first section of Skeleton Creek includes the entries for September 13 through September 14 as well as the video diaries “houseofusher” and “theraven.” This section establishes stylistic elements such as tone, atmosphere, and setting that indicate the three primary genres of the novel. This includes a juxtaposition between the teen protagonists and the adult characters of Skeleton Creek that mark the novel as young adult fiction. There is an emphasis on foreshadowing, suspicion, danger, and narrative structure that carefully highlights the chronological flow of time, all specific to mystery fiction. Finally, the narrator creates an atmosphere of fear, paranoia, and suspense that builds tension and highlights the supernatural, ghost-story elements of the narrative.

The September 13 entries introduce and rebut the idea of the videos being a hoax. Ryan claims that film differs from print because it is limited to reality, suggesting that what Sarah films must be real. This narrative assumption establishes that the videos act as verification of the ghost story.

This part of the novel introduces several key elements that build the atmosphere. Ryan and Sarah communicate only through digital technology and only in secret. This dynamic puts their parents in the position of constantly policing and scrutinizing any access they have to digital technology. The adults limit communication in authoritarian ways that isolate the teens and seems excessive and unreasonable, though Ryan does admit that “it is a long history of trouble that made them respond so forcefully when something bad finally did happen” (33). This develops two important themes in the novel: The Relationship Between Print, Digital, and New Media and The Relationship Between Young Adults and Authority. Paul McCray is an important part of these developing themes, which put Ryan in a position where he feels he “can’t tell [his] parents” despite the seriousness of the situation and leave him insecure and unsure as the mystery develops (46).

This section also introduces several clues that build the mysterious past of Skeleton Creek. These clues include the discovery of the Crossbones, which communicates in codes in The Skeleton Creek Irregular and in signs throughout town.

Another series of discoveries surrounds New York Gold and Silver. Ryan and Sarah are surprised at the company’s interest in Skeleton Creek as well as the power it wielded in the town. The history of the Dredge is also linked to the company as the #42 asset, a name that suggests the same indifference that the company displayed when suggesting the name Skeleton Creek, a casual reference to the environmental destruction the Dredge was causing to the pristine mountainside. This develops the theme of The Impact of Greed and Corruption. Joe Bush’s horrific death is described and also linked to New York Gold and Silver by the ghost’s warning to stay away from #42.

These clues combine to suggest the possibility of a crime, though it is notable that despite the mystery components noted earlier, no crime is established in the opening context of the story. Instead, the teens investigate a series of oddities that hint at more with little confirmation. Joe Bush remains central to their interests, however, especially after encountering the ghost at the Dredge. Their investigation is more of a macabre fascination that develops into an obsession, something that fits with the description of both characters, who demonstrate obsessive personalities that revolve around storytelling and the media in which they prefer to share their stories.

The novel’s first section also establishes a highly didactic, or instructional, style of writing that addresses the transmedia elements of the novel—in particular, the additions of the videos. Ryan includes moments that guide readers regarding how to access the videos, beginning with phrases like “It’s so simple” and concluding with phrases like “Then click return” (24). In these passages, the author is focused less on meeting the expectations of voice for the first-person teen protagonist than on coaching readers on how to access and interpret the transmedia story.

Carman is not necessarily subtle in his didactic treatment of other aspects of the novel. For example, passages where Ryan addresses the literary allusions that Sarah’s passwords make are also highly didactic and written to ensure the reader makes the necessary connections between literary works. In response to the password “theraven,” Ryan notes: “[It’s] like she’s trying to make things even scarier than they already are [...] without bringing Edgar Allan Poe back from the dead” (35). He relies on Poe’s literary reputation and the work referenced to create the necessary narrative suspense in this moment. Carman’s didactic treatment of the literary allusions and Ryan’s reflections on how he feels in the moment, often described as variations of fear and paranoia, create much of the atmosphere that meets the necessary genre expectations for the style of the mystery/ghost story. Carman’s use of literary allusion and choice of epistolary form relies upon telling rather than showing. This may be a choice linked to Carman’s preference for writing books for children and young adult audiences that are frequently used in public school curriculum (Carman).

The videos “houseofusher” and “theraven” begin a narrative motif of literary allusions that foreshadow important plot developments in the vook and series. “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) is an Edgar Allen Poe story that highlights an atmosphere of decay, isolation, and insanity. These are all elements that thread throughout the Skeleton Creek series, beginning with the first novel. Ryan and Sarah become increasingly isolated by the conspiracy they uncover as they research the decaying Dredge. Meanwhile, the real danger is not supernatural but in Henry’s plot to recover the missing gold hidden somewhere at the Dredge. “The Raven” (1845) is a well-known poem by Poe that alludes to the supernatural in an additional reference to the ghost of Joe Bush at the heart of the teens’ fascination with the events they uncover.

The first two videos record the earliest encounters with Joe Bush. The shaky nighttime video with the eerie hum of the gears and machinery in the background as well as the mysterious tapping of metal on metal that precedes the slow and steady thump and drag of Joe Bush’s footsteps all add to the frightening atmosphere, verifying the truth of the events that Ryan records in his journal. The odd angles and jump scares heighten the suspense and horror.

Both videos record what the series reveals to be legitimate encounters with the ghost of Joe Bush. The legitimacy of “houseofusher” is revealed after Henry’s plot is uncovered when he notes that he does not know Morse code and never sent any messages. Ryan will later decode the tapping in this video to identify the question “Are you the Alchemist?” (139). The second video, “theraven,” includes special effects that create a ghostly overlay that reveal the encounter as a supernatural event. Later in the book, Sarah will edit and refer back to these key moments, explicating the images and sounds in didactic moments that guide viewers on how to approach the videos from a critical perspective.