Three letters were sent to residents of a street in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, from a mystery author which contained a ‘grown-up story’ with ‘slightly grubby sex scenes’
Image: No credit)
A street in Doncaster has been the centre bizarre mystery with residents left baffled and somewhat alarmed by an anonymous letter writer.
The mystery author has penned three strange letters to Abbott Street in Hexthorpe, delivered courtesy of Royal Mail. Each letter spins an elaborate yet seemingly fake story involving a “Reverend”, his lover “Contralto”, with a few saucy scenes for flavor. The writer declined to reveal their identity but certainly stirred emotions on the street.
Katrina, a resident, said the first letter was comical, almost like a prank, but subsequent messages took a darker turn, prompting fear and thoughts of phoning the poilce. She said: “The first one I found amusing, thinking someone had sent it as a joke.”
“I brought it into work and myself and staff had a good giggle about it. Then the second was delivered and I found it dark to say the least and if I’m honest it did get me thinking if it was someone trying to confess to something in a strange sort of way. I wasn’t aware that they had been delivered to almost everyone on the street as I work long hours as part of management team in a care home.”
(
Image:
No credit)
“It did scare me a little, the second letter, and I was a little worried about it. I was debating speaking to police about it and then a friend shared a post on Facebook about them so that put me at ease.”
In an anonymous letter, the alleged writer shared why they started the odd campaign, Yorkshire Live reports. They also mentioned being out of pocket by approximately £50 for stamps and envelopes, adding a GoFundMe page was set up for support and has only managed to gather a meagre £5.
The self-titled TheDoncasterLetters email account spilled the beans admitting that the contents of the letters might have “slightly grubby sex scenes early on.”
The writer said in their admission email: “The number of letters that I send will depend on my ability to afford the ever-increasing cost of printing, envelopes and postage. I wouldn’t like to give too much away on how many are to come, but they won’t carry on forever. I hope people enjoy receiving them while they last.”
“Nobody has to donate anything, and I admit that the appeal has been launched more in hope than expectation. But I like the wild and unfounded optimism of it. I mentioned to someone else that optimism has never seen such pastures.”
(
Image:
No credit)
Opening up about the project further, the author added: “However, if people are enjoying reading/hearing about the letters, then maybe they’d like to give a small amount. If I don’t raise anything, I’ll eventually have to think about other ways of allowing people to read the letters, but I’d really like to keep it about Doncaster and the people around there. I want it to bring amusement, intrigue and excitement to the readers. On a selfish note, I’ve also been enjoying this project and it’s been a nice outlet for me.”
“Admittedly, The Doncaster Letters do depict a couple of slightly grubby sex scenes early on, and I’m sorry if anyone is offended by that (this is the reason why they’re addressed to ‘The Resident Adult’), but I hope that people will ultimately see that the wider themes of the story are much more edifying and honorable. My further desire is that people find the tone of the early letters, and the amount of innuendo when describing those scenes, more amusing than threatening.”
“If I do become aware that people are genuinely distressed/worried by the letters, then they will stop. But that would seem a shame, particularly at this early juncture.”
When questioned about their background and the choice of setting, they shared: “Sadly I’m not a published author. I’ve tried to get a couple of things published, but to no avail. I thought of the narrator/lead character as a sometimes-formidable Yorkshire woman, and Doncaster seemed to fit around her life nicely, as the story develops.”
(
Image:
No credit)
The individual behind the letter campaign explained their choice of location by saying: “When it came to choosing that exact area for sending the letters to, it was somewhat arbitrary and based on a Google Maps search, but I wanted to choose a less affluent area of Doncaster.”
They added: “Although a wealthier area might have been better for getting publicity for the letters, it’s nice for people everywhere to feel that they’re not being forgotten, and getting a letter through the door that isn’t a bill, marketing leaflet or something equally boring might be particularly appreciated by some of the people around there. With the houses being quite tightly-packed together, I like to think of the letters adding to a sense of community if they can get neighbours talking to one another and laughing. Whether that’s realistic is for them to determine.”
The sign-off for both responses took a personal touch with two ‘kisses’ – Xx – and a “thanks again”. Highlighting the effort to sustain the project, it was mentioned that the GoFundMe appeal, which features a WHSmith receipt showing £52 spent on stamps and envelopes, has set a goal of £300.
It was also indicated that the letters, possibly dispatched from London, revealed a Mount Pleasant mail centre mark. An apology was also included in the fundraiser message, which read: “I apologise to those in Abbott Street who feel put out by the arrival of these letters – I will endeavour to ensure that you’re not further inconvenienced too much.
“But remember, the key to keep following the story is to keep talking to your neighbours.Above all, I hope that you are enjoying this as much as I am. Yours in Gratitude, Your Unknown Author Xx.”