Alton Island - Duel

"Many, many years ago, lived a man called John Sparks. Generally, he was a quiet man who tended to keep to himself. After a long career in a profession now unknown, he set about retiring to his ‘dream home’ which he would live the rest of his life in. The opportunity had been perfect: He bought a house deep within a woodland which he often visited, yet for some reason nobody else did. The owner was quite eager to sell… This didn’t bother John. For him, it meant more privacy. It was after he moved in that John realised just why the area was so scarcely visited…

The house was in the deepest parts of Gloomy Wood, a part of the island virtually alive with supernatural activity. It didn’t take the ghosts and ghouls long to close in on John’s home and start making mischief. It started small… making the walls in his home creak as he walked past them, moving his belongings around behind his back…

John did his best to ignore all the happenings and instead of fleeing, decided to live with it. The ghosts, having been slightly annoyed that their tricks weren’t affecting the man too much decided to take their tricks one step too far. One stormy night, John was in his study with his young niece Emily who was visiting, playing with her favourite dolls house when the ghosts played their joke. They began to play around with the electrical cables going into the home, causing the lights to flicker until ultimately the home’s lighting died away in an instant.

As the home plunged into darkness, John kept Emily close as they went in search of the main fuse box to get the lights back on. This was to be John’s final movement… Once he and Emily had reached the fuse box, a lightning strike surged through the home, electrocuting John and his young niece to their ends.

The untimely deaths bought regret about the spirits of the household. In apology, Neither John’s or Emily’s spirits were lost, instead kept safe within the home. Out of respect for John, they allowed his spirit to continue living in his home, where the ghosts would aid him day to day, and help him retain the privacy he always wanted. Emily was also revived, and was allowed to continue playing, even living in her favourite dolls house for as long as she could ever want to.

Many years passed. A peak of supernatural activity in 2003 caused yet more spirits to invade and destroy the home’s garden. The resident ghosts contained the outbreak, with John keeping the same quiet demeanour throughout. “Can’t be helped… It will grow back.”

Few people ever found the house after John's death. Those that did and entered it often barely managed to scrape their way out of the home with their sanity intact and would go home to tell the many terrifying tales of the Haunted House in Gloomy Wood. How even though it was presumed empty, it had the potential to strike back…"

Yet more Alton Island. I've not been able to do quite as much art as of late as I've finally found work.
Duel's design is entirely based off one of his namesakes, the legendary John Wardley, who retired earlier this year. This backstory will likely become extremely uncomfortable to read when the inevitable happens...
The wallpaper and framed picture are based off those from the actual ride. Sure, the background looks rather bare, but I got rather tired of working on it. I am extremely pleased with how the chair turned out.

Alton Island © Matt Lindsay 2008-2013
Once more, credit to ~Cobra-Roll for helping with the character bio.