How sure can I be, that as I recount the events that brought us here that you will make a better choice than I did? I don't see myself as someone who is insane, in fact, I don't see any change in myself at all. This is of course disregarding the physical manifestations brought on by the exposure to the horrors lurking behind my walls. But as far as the thoughts in my head, I find them just as solid and faithful as any other time in my life.
"Just leave it and go." I thought, but I would dare never speak such a thing.
"Come on, man! I know you're in there!" The voice boomed again. "I heard your floorboards creak!" Its a lie, I've stayed perfectly still since he first knocked.
"Dude, you gotta sign or you can't have the package!" The voice called out. Then I heard another, a more familiar voice.
"Ted never comes outside. Just leave the form, he'll sign it and place it right back here." It was Ellie from room 407, the room across the hall. I could see it through my peephole. Ellie was the closest thing I ever got to human interaction.
"What am I supposed to do, come back tomorrow?" The first voice, a man's boomed again.
"I don't know nor do I care what you do." Ellie was now matching his volume. "Walk around the floor, by the time you come back the form will be signed and the package will be inside."
"How do I know you won't take it?" The man asked. Ellie just sighed.
"You don't." Then her keys jingled and I heard her lock click. The door creaked open and floorboards groaned. "You just have to have faith in Ted, the way I do." Then her door slammed shut.
The man grumbled to himself for a few moments, contemplating any number of logical reasons to leave a notepad in front of a door alone.
"Alright, TED!" He announced. There was utter distain in his words. "I'll be back in five. If the form isn't signed by the time I come back, you're going to need to pick this package up at our local office."
Then I heard his feet walk away.
I pressed myself against the door and peered through the peephole. I saw no one. I couldn't be too risky, however. I needed to be sure. I cracked the door ever so slightly and used an extendable dental mirror to peer around the hallway.
I saw no one so I stood and closed the door again. I undid the four locks and quickly opened the door.
Lying in front of it was a brown cardboard box, roughly the size of a cookie sheet, with an electronic notepad on top. I lifted the notepad and withdrew the stylus. I scribbled my name on the electronic dotted line and replaced it with the box.
Then I quietly closed my door and locked it. Then hurriedly rushed to my bedroom in order to unsheathe my prize. I had been searching for this rarity for what felt like decades and now the moment was at hand to add it to my collection.
I ritualistically opened the package as not to damage my gem inside. I had to maintain the mint condition of it.
As I delicately slid a knife across the top of the package I noticed it, with one hand clasped against the bottom of the package. This felt different. This did not feel like a limited edition Eva figurine, this felt like a book.
Then I rotated the package one hundred eighty degrees and out fell a dusty old tome. The thing reeked of something I could not distinguish or it was, perhaps too foul for my brain to interpret. The grimoire was heavy enough to make my wrist strain from its weight. It was covered in cracked leather and bound by three parallel clasps of iron that wrapped around it. Between the clasps, tying them together was a menacing looking lock with two identical key holes. On the face of the book were etchings that I could not understand, save for these strange letters that ran across the top of it like a title.
"του βιβλιου δεν εχει ματια"
-Jestro
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