Horror

Little Gift

Before I begin to relay the details of this ritual, I

should probably explain that you need to be in a

certain state of mind for it to work. I'm sure a lot of

you out there will know what I mean, even though I

am not the best person to be explaining human

emotions. It's a kind of churning, constant

emptiness. A feeling that although you have no

desire to die, life simply "takes too long" and you

would rather another option. It is very important that

you feel this way, when undertaking the ritual.

Because "another option" is exactly what we'll give

you.

The details are as follows. I have tried to make it as

simple as possible, and to cut down on the cryptic

rubbish that my contemporaries often include in

these things, but you need to appreciate how hard

that is. We don't live by constants, as you do. We

live by symbolism and meaning. Bread does not

sustain us, but the idea of bread makes a very good

meal indeed. Still, enough talk. Even if you DID want

to hear about me, I wouldn't be able to explain it.

Apologies for this also, but if you're not a resident

of the United Kingdom, you have a little travelling to

do. The new world doesn't interest us as much as

the old one, and this isn't going to be as convenient

as finding any old hospital or half-way house. You

will travel to Suffolk, England, and find a public

house called "The Queen's Head" on the crossroads

of four villages: Southwold, Aldeburgh, Dunwich and

Walberswick. They've all been well-noted by history,

though not necessarily in the history books.

Anyhow, once there, visit the place during the hours

of 11 PM to 1 AM, and take a good look around the

pub itself, without going inside. The crossroads is a

simple one, four towns lie in four different

directions, though new roads may not reflect that

accurately. Take a compass with you. Take 10

steps toward each town, then ten steps back to your

original location. Once you have done this for all

four, proclaim: "I have seen these crossroads too

many times."

Once said, step into the pub. It should look much as

it did in my time, which may well be a shock to you.