Don't Keep the Lights On

Chapter 15

I touched he cover-and then my hand shrank back automatically. "Ouch!" I cried. Dolly frowned. "What? Why?" Hannah touched the book and shrank back too, mumbling something I couldn't catch. "I think the book affects mortals with a burning sensation." I said, thinking out loud. Dolly nodded. "That might be the problem." "I'll try it out." Connor said bravely. He touched the book. I waited for his hand to go back to it's place, but it didn't. "Oh...wow." James mused, joining our little party. "How do we destroy this?" I asked, scared of a book that burned my hands.

"A sacrifice. It could be anything, anything worth value. We light a fire, and we chant the words inscribed on the cover." Dolly stole a glance at Hannah, then continued, "Those who cannot speak the words must have them in their mind. Next we throw in the sacrificial object. We wait. If the fire turns black, do not proceed. It will be very dangerous, a sign that the spirits have not accepted our gift. We must kill the fire immediately and try again. If the fire turns blue, continue. Throw the book in and the spirits will destroy it. These are good spirits, so the only way for the fire to turn black is if we sacrifice an unholy thing."

"Like....?" I asked. "Well, innocent animals, humans." Connor put in. "Oh. So what do we sacrifice?" I raised my eyebrows. "The Puppeteer left his life object behind." James wandered over to a table and picked up a locket. It was black, with a spot of grey inside. "It's something that he loves. I don't know what it is, but I think the spirits will accept it." James said. "Okay, smart. Dolly, let's do this!" Dolly wandered over to a cabinet in the far side of the room. "Luckily, this room's floor is unpolished wood." She said, returning with a single match. She lit the floor and we all changed the words.

"Burn the book. This unholy book. Accept our offering and burn the book." We said. The fire burned brightly. I stole a glance at the door. It was creaking open slowly. "Hurry!" I whispered to Dolly. She threw the locket into the fire. "Accept it spirits please!" She begged. The fire burned blue. Connor threw the book in just as the Puppeteer uttered, "Hello, my dears." He turned towards us. "You traitors!" He shrieked as the book went up in flames. "Traitors!" He screamed.

The book was ashes. The Puppeteer melted, his eyes wide and afraid. "No!!!!! Not Forever!!!" He pleaded. The puppet fell limp and still. The Puppeteer was gone. Hopefully forever. Breathlessly, we began cleaning up the mess. Trying not to get nightmares. Trying with our shaky hands. Our story began to end.