Cobh, 10:20AM 15th December 2014
Something horrible has happened. The recording of my 999 call replays on the machine. My voice is monotone and lacks emotion. It didn't hurt back then. It only hit me afterwards, but nothing can be done now. Dr. Ron occasionally brushes his thin dry hands through his long ginger hair out of habit. My aunt is sitting opposite the detective. They both turn to look at the television on the wall in the guard station. "Three adolecents have just been pronounced dead following an incident that is understood to be a triple homocide caused by a fire. The origin of the fire is unknown..." a news reporter reads out almost as nonchalantly as my emergency call. I tune out. If only they knew. I watch quietly before getting lost in thought. Recalling the events is like trying to wade through a marsh, I have to force myself to do it. My thoughts move back to the beginning. They cannot seem to understand the actions they once agreed with. The memory takes over.
"Hey Beth! Look what I found". Maiya tosses a brown book covered in mud in my direction. The sun setting over the fields outside my house makes me shield my face with my arm and the book lands at my feet. Maiya's dark brown hair shows streaks of red in the evening sunlight. Intruiged to see what it was, I suggest we take the mud covered book into my house as it began to rain. Inside the house my Aunt, Gabby, takes our wet rain coats and greets Maiya with what I call her 'guest voice' even though Maiya is almost like family. She sighs at my usual laziness as I kick my sodden canvas shoes off in the clean hallway. I set the book up on the counter in the kitchen so I can read it. I push my hair out of my face but still the dirty blonde strands keep making their way into my eyes. Maiya turns up beside me after politely taking her shoes off at the door. "The Human Race" I read aloud. The book seems to be old but I think that might just be from being buried underneath my neighbours potato crops. We were helping spread fertiliser on the soil for some extra money when Maiya stumbled across the book buried underneath the crops. We open it to the first page.
It showed us a list of rules for a game. We followed them. Usually tears would be rolling down my round cheeks by now. I remembered Fern. What if we hadn't followed the rules? Maybe we weren't able to choose. Fern always knew we had no choice and just like that she quit. She didn't know what quitting meant at the time so she didn't feel a thing. There was no fear in her eyes and I couldn't have asked for anything more. The memory of her is distant. I remember her telling me the story of how excited she was to see me at the hospital when I was born. Nothing. Not a single tear passes down my cheek nor does that all too familiar feeling of sadness and regret tug on my heart. I don't think I am able to feel anymore. Fern was not only my sister but she was like a best friend and mother to me ever since my parents passed away in a car crash when I was nine. After the accident my aunt took us in. I know Fern is in a better place now. The book may have taken her life but it did not take her soul.
"The rules are simple. There must be 3 players. Each player cannot not quit until the game is over. Read one page each out loud and follow it's instruction to win" I read to Fern and Maiya. Maiya and I decided to play the next night and I called Fern upstairs to the attic to be our third player. The pages are a golden brown colour and look as if they have seen too much sun despite being buried for who knows how long. The text is written in an italic style caligraphy. I tried to write like that in art class once but failed miserably. I smile slightly as I remember my failed attempt that Maiya mocked, though she was no better. I read...
"The flood of genesis lies within,
the purpose clear - no one would win,
once month the book will shine,
and even playing fields just in time."
"In time for what?" I said confused. A sudden wild wind caused the pages to turn and the old attic floor boards to creak loudly. There were no windows open. "I'm not playing anymore" Fern screamed loudly over the noise. It's eery sounds didn't bother me. I got distracted by the view in front of me. The book was so pretty. It showed me my past in shining bursts of image. My mother stood there waving to somebody with three year old me in her arms and Fern at her side holding onto her leg. She is holding a brush. "It's okay, darling." She crooned through the pages. One of my favourite memories of my mother is of the time when she brushed my hair each night sang me riddles. She handed me the brush and I looked toward Fern and smiled. Fern looked at me, confused. I didn't understand. I held the brush out toward her. I wanted her to come see. Maiya was cowering in the corner of the attic as Fern to the ground. The images stop flowing through the pages and the light is gone. What I once saw as a brush is now a large kitchen knife stuck in my sisters stomach right between her ribs. As she lay there with blood spluttering from her mouth there was still no fear there. I didn't feel it either. The book called to me.
Now that the book is gone, I think to myself... how could I have done such a thing? The thought and experience now sickens me but still I do not cry. I will never forgive myself for that moment of tranquility. It couldn't have been me. Now I am certain it was the monster inside the book; a demon. Nobody would ever believe me had I told them but I know in my soul that we were not to blame for our actions. The book compelled Maiya to read and after taking 3 turns each we sat blissfully unaware of what we did. Each page had a gruesome task. I know there is blood on my hands, on both our hands, but I simply won't admit to it. It was not me and it was not Maiya. I couldn't help noticing the delight in my eyes reflecting back at me from Maiya after I snapped the neck of that poor crow. In a twisted sick way I enjoyed it. I snap back to reality. I don't remember making that phone call I just heard my aunt listen to. I do not recall the fire that supposedly killed us. I think I left out a few details in my recollection but my time is up, I must move on. Less than one hour ago Maiya drowned herself in my bath with my help. Several minutes ago I hung myself from the attic stairs with my satin scarf. My last thoughts are for my aunt. I never thought there would be any light at the end, and there isn't.
Kensington University, London, 10.20AM 15th December 2014
"In the bible, as you all know, it mentions the genesis flood or what you would better know it as, the flood that noah's ark saved two of each species from. The story tells us that god wanted to cleanse the earth. You see long ago the egyptians wholeheartedly believed in this idea of cleansing the earth. For all the wrongs caused by humans there needed to be a right. You might not believe in the book but these people did. The eqyptians created the phenomenon known as "The Human Race". Each month it turns up and takes innocent lives to compensate for the human race defying the 10 Commandments. God set these commands to help us live in harmony but each and every minute of every day there are people defying them without a second thought. There has to be a balance, right?", Professor Hannah O' Riley tries to interact with her unwilling students. "The theory is that it will take the lives of whoever plays within the hour and you must play." She emphasises the word 'stress'. "So to conclude with today's seminar I'll warn you that if you ever find a book, of any shape or size, and it asks you to play. Don't. But they say you have no choice."
Texas, 10:27AM 15th December 2014
"Hayley come look. I found something cool, I think it's a book!"
The End.
