Visions from Beyond

Chapter 8: The Shrewsbury Cabinet

The library vault was located down a long corridor off the main reading room. The entrance was protected by massive oak doors. A guard sat by the doorway and kept a log of all visitors. He greeted Peter with a smile but scanned Neal suspiciously when Neal presented his ID.

"Professor Armitage just approved him," Peter said smoothly.

He nodded but still looked doubtful. "I got her call but I wasn't expecting someone so young. He's not your TA, is he?"

"No, he's a member of the linguistics faculty. Shrewsbury was his advisor."

The guard's attitude changed dramatically, his frown dissolving into a smile. "My apologies. I didn't realize. You're welcome to use the vault at any time." He took out a large brass key of intricate construction, inserted it into the lock, and pushed the doors open.

The bookcases extended some twenty feet to the ceiling. A rolling ladder was provided to access the highest shelves. The lower sections of several of the units consisted of solid wood cabinets. In the center of the vault was a carved oak table with a couple of chairs.

So many books. Neal stood at the threshold simply taking in the sight.

Peter chuckled. "You remind me of what I felt like the first time I gained admittance. I felt like I'd discovered the unknown resting place of a lost pharaoh." He secured the entrance with a wrought iron gate that could be opened from the interior, noting that the gate was mandatory for visits to the vault.

"Where are you starting?" Neal asked.

"The Necronomicon."

At his words, Neal's pulse quickened. According to ancient records, Abdul Alhazred, a half-crazed scholar had written the book in the 700s. Most scholars relied on scattered fragmentary Latin translations that were based on an earlier lost translation in Greek. The book in the Miskatonic library vault was the original. Very few knew of its existence.

Thaddeus told him that Alhazred had worshiped ancient gods and was persecuted for blasphemy. Although Neal wasn't permitted to view the book, Thaddeus had discussed much of its content with him. The tales were ambiguous and sinister. Many of them existed only in that book.

Thaddeus was preparing a translation not only of the main text but also the appendices—over fifty pages of text written in an obscure variant of Classical Arabic unique to the Necronomicon. Because of the difficulty of the language, the appendices had never been translated. The Arabic in the main body of the text presented fewer challenges, but even it contained additional letters. Thaddeus believed that none of the other translations had been accurate. He hoped Neal could translate the appendices, but when Lavinia refused access, the project had been put on hold.

"Lavinia and I had once scanned the Necronomicon together," Peter said. "I'd shown her a drawing in a Moroccan tomb I'd discovered. She thought it bore a resemblance to one of the drawings in the Necronomicon but we weren't able to find it. During my search, I think I may have seen something resembling your sketch. Did you bring it?"

Neal placed his briefcase on the table and opened it to retrieve the sheet of paper. He was torn between wanting to stay with Peter to explore the Necronomicon and checking out what was in the Shrewsbury cabinet.

"I'll call you over as soon as I find something," Peter said, solving his dilemma.

Neal nodded gratefully and headed for the cabinets. They all had brass plates containing identification information. Most of the IDs were meaningless numbers, but the middle cabinet on the south wall was labeled with a single word: Shrewsbury. Neal pulled out his key and inserted it into the lock. The cabinet door swung open to reveal three deep shelves containing journals, ledger books, and boxes of varying sizes. One large steel box filled the entire middle shelf. It was labeled with the name of Thaddeus's father, Laban Shrewsbury.