Doctor Marstell was a bum in San Francisco.
Biography
Doctor Marstell was the name of a "pet" bum, a favorite of the work crews who strung the Golden Gate Bridge. He had the apparent ability to see through the flaws in the bridge's design before the engineers could, warning work crews to over tighten certain bolts and double-weld others, and even going so far as to stand in front of a wire spool, denying anyone access to it if he thought it was going to be put to an incorrect purpose. He was brilliant in his way. The workers avoided so many problems by listening to the good Doctor's advice and they began to bring him lunch and hand off their old clothes to him. He was something of a living good-luck charm, even if he smelled of turpentine and coal smoke. When the bridge was nearly built, the foreman somehow overheard Doctor Marstell muttering to himself about every perfect bridge claiming a life, and how much he sought that perfection. Not knowing that this would be the last time he would see Marstell, the foreman ran him off the bridge, fearful he was drunk enough to stumble off the side and fall.
The next morning, they found Marstell on the lower pedestal of one of the great supports, his body broken by the fall. To this day, many changelings and mortals alike have seen the presence of a ghostly figure working the rigging at night, although none will openly speak of it.
References
- CTD. Immortal Eyes: The Toybox, p. 27.