This choice: Another cold night confused in the basement. • Go Back...Chapter #29Dreams and another surprise awakening. by: Wordsmitty ✍️   It's late, and the basement is cold and dark. You pace in circles as this evening's events play over and over in your head. Nothing is making sense, and you have conflicting ideas of what to do. Melody's mind wants to study the book, sure that the phrases from Blackwell's will solve it. Your Will side is bewildered and exhausted just wanting to reconcile all the things you've heard and seen tonight. These are fighting each other as you grab the Libras and sit in a corner on the mat pulling the old blanket around you and holding the flashlight pointed at the ceiling.
"Omeko is a lesbian? No. She's never shown anything like that. But she went off with Melody who has had ... "girl experiences," and she thinks Omeko is cute for ..."
You push those thoughts out and pick up the paper with the phrases. A rush takes you over as Melody's mind starts sorting through them even though barely able to make them out in the dim light. You open the Libras to the title page and see the opening in Latin again.
"Claim me with money; possess me with blood."
"Those of blood will be given admittance."
When you put your bloody thumbprint on the book, you were able to open to the first spell: the mask.
"Probably coincidence." you think. Your eyes grow heavy straining to read your scribble of the next phrase.
"Those who blunder forth will stop at half."
"What does that have to do with the mind strip, combination, or sealing?" you question yourself in your head then thumb through the pages at the other spells. "Nor half a golem." You blink to keep your eyes open and awake. The spells all seem clear, after a little thought, and complete. You muddled through them without much problem. There's nothing that is half something.
Then you reach as far in the book as you've played with so far. Here you're stuck, held up from going further because of a missing part of the page before you that is fading in your vision.
~ ~ ~
There is but a small point of light in the distance, flickering. The wall on either side has faces hung against the dark stone, all with eyes closed. Some seem familiar. Others threatening. A flicker whisks you forward.
In a cave with a small, low entrance that opens to a "room." An ancient oil lamp, a flame dances out of the spout, sits in an alcove. Either side are large, nondescript stone figures with crossed poles (spears?) precluding entrance. Behind, a large book. The Libras.
~ ~ ~
Sun is hot. No shade. No brush. No grass. No wind. No sound.
Two figures on the horizon. Now they're before you. Hooded robes obscure features. One holds a face - a mask - so real. Too real. It's eyes open, look at you while it's held. It's mouth opens. No sound. Hood falls back. Blank gray rock. The face now there. The mouth. No sound. Words in your head. Gibberish. It's expression, terror. The other moves. All now black.
~ ~ ~
A parade, single file, passes, looks down at you. Each is the same. Never ending.
Distant voices. No. ... Screams. No. ... Laughter. No. ... Maniacal shrieks. Not of the parade.
All stop. Many faces together look down at you. You blink, try to move. They hold you down. Your hand reaches to a face, touches. Vision swirls.
You look down ... at yourself. You look around. All faces now you.
~ ~ ~
The hooded figure. Robe dissolves. It's skin, red, a sigil, identical to, it is the same, a walking Libras. It's faceless head opens. It's hand reaches in. Then closes. Hand to sigil on chest. Face appears. Speaks. No sound. Words in your head.
Those who mind itself will make whole.
Figure becomes the Libras. Opens. Grows. Engulfs you. Closes. Dark. Opens.
~ ~ ~
Flames chase you. Your shadow from them rises in front. Terror. Guilt. Sadness. Concern. More shadows. None move. Silence.
~ ~ ~
Everywhere empty. Your house. School. Keyserling College. Blackwell's library. His study. The back hallway. Statues. No. ... Golems. No. ... Stone faces. Corpse golems. ... Lucy ... Cassie ... Blackwell ... Melody ... Omeko! ... LISA ! !
NOOOOOOOOooo.
You must ... save them. The Libras. Answers? It must!
Very heavy thumps. A voice - the guest?
"Let me it. Open the book. It's no good. The book is useless to you."
Frightened. No. ... Scared. No. ... Terrified.
Run hard, fast. Dark. Breath, short. Tired. The clubhouse.
The Libras.
Open. Only half page. No help there. Stare at the Libras. Mind swirls. Now inside it. Falling. The Libras floats past. Grab. Outside it, but holding it. Put two together. Libras glows.
Half page turns. Another spell. Not reversal. Depression.
Guest voice, "The book is useless."
More pages. More spells. More puzzles. No time. Cry.
"NO!" Curse the book. Pound the table. Scream.
Frustrated. "It can't be. The book is useless." Pound table harder. Again. Continue. Crying, "The book is useless. The book is useless. The book is useless."
~ ~ ~
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR."
With a jerk, you wake up shaking, hot and sweaty hearing your own voice calling out and almost no light to remind you where you are.
"The book is useless. The book is useless." your voice is calling from outside, and there's loud banging on a door.
"Just a minute." you holler back as you figure out you're in the basement clubhouse and that's the pass phrase to be used to get in. You grab the flashlight then stagger up and over to pull the bar keeping the door shut. In races the golem with your face looking very upset.
"Big, big trouble last night. I couldn't get to you, so I, ... I ..." It can't finish and stands there looking surprised and concerned. "You look like crap."
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