The dictaphone in question was brought to me after being found on the coastal path, wrapped inside an old waterproof coat. Inside the coat were a few gardening tools and a pair of boots marked with dried mud and salt. The microcassette inside the recorder is labelled in a shaky hand: "Carter - Allotment Notes" and will become case #0003.

Only later did I trace the recording back to the eastern allotments, where one shed stood open and unattended. The conditions matched the tape’s contents, but there was no sign of Carter himself.

The entries on the tape suggest several mornings of routine gardening carried out in dense sea fog, gradually giving way to something more unsettling moving through the allotment rows.

Takeaways:

• The investigation into the disappearance of Edwin Carter remains unresolved, with the case classified as a misadventure by authorities.
• Fog has a profound impact on acoustics, causing sound to mimic proximity, which can be disorienting in a rural setting.
• The peculiar audio anomalies discovered on the Dictaphone suggest unexplained radio frequencies, raising questions about its origins.
• Local folklore surrounding the allotments speaks of spectral children, believed to emerge during foggy conditions, seeking warmth and entry.
• The physical state of the shed where the Dictaphone was found indicates significant water damage, suggesting a deeper connection to the coastal environment.
• The urgency for digitising and preserving these recordings is paramount, as the decay threatens to erase valuable historical evidence.

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