The Resignation of Arthur Penhaligon

Epistolary

To the Board of Governors, Royal Ectoplasmic Works, Whitehall. Subject: Formal Resignation of Arthur Penhaligon, Senior Binding Engineer. Gentlemen, Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation, effective as of the first of November, 1887. While I have found the management of the City’s spirit-turbines to be a rewarding pursuit, the cumulative effects of the tuning process have reached a threshold that renders my continued employment untenable. As per the Occupational Hazard Clause in my contract, it is understood that the stabilization of the ectoplasmic grid requires a certain psychic resonance from the engineer. This resonance is, as the Board is well aware, drawn from the engineer's own mnemonic reserves. I first noted the attrition in the autumn of 1882, when I discovered I could no longer recall the scent of the jasmine in my grandmother's garden. This was initially dismissed as a standard fluctuation in the resonance levels. However, following the winter surge of 1884, the loss became more acute. I have since lost the memory of my father's voice, the specific hue of the wallpaper in my childhood nursery, and the name of my first hound. It is a matter of record that the street-lighting of the East End districts depends upon the conversion of these personal anchors into luminous energy. I acknowledge that my contribution to the public illumination of London has been substantial. Nevertheless, the erosion of my identity has progressed to a stage where I find myself unable to maintain a coherent sense of self during the midnight shifts. I believe it is in the best interest of the Works that I vacate my position before the loss of my primary linguistic faculties occurs. Such an event would undoubtedly lead to an inefficiency in the reporting of turbine fluctuations. I trust that my pension will be processed in accordance with the Binding Engineer’s Guild regulations. I remain, gentlemen, your obedient servant, Arthur Penhaligon