Dr Ouida Burt is about to deliver a lecture to us. It’s a lecture with such a boring title that her head of department didn’t even deign to veto it. Nonetheless, she’s here to talk to us about ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night. So she shortened the title and introduces us to Piskie.

We rewind to a bothy in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Two walkers are stranded. In the depths of a storm, a mysterious noise draws them to the window. They see a mysterious creature with two horns. They’re both rational men. But both conclude that the devil is at their door.

Burt’s lecture references anecdotal evidence she’s gathered over years of sightings of mysterious mythical beasties and beings. She has a string of qualifications to her name and specialises in the psychology of those who believe they can see such fairies and phantoms. But the more she tells us about her interest in the paranormal, the more we realise that her interest in the creatures roaming wild on Dartmoor, may be more than professional.

This is an interesting play, nicely directed by Jamie Firth and writer Lucy Roslyn’s an endearing performer. Her set’s very simple – a table with appropriate personal effects. She’s perfectly located in a lecture theatre at Summerhall and makes some use of slides to deliver her lecture. There’s a bit of a soundtrack and the lighting has a malevolent mind of its own.

But the ending leaves a few too many threads untied. Is her dad dead or just absconded? Does Burt actually have clients or has her career been a journey of self-discovery? If the latter, why does she keep her job? That said, if you’re someone who enjoys the post-show process of unravelling, Piskie will give you a lot to work with.

Piskie is at Summerhall – Cairns Lecture Theatre until Mon 26 Aug (except Mon 19) at 12:00