Necronomicon

I’m not really sure what just happend. I have my theories but no answer. I don’t think I even want to know.

Yesterday I was with my wife rummaging around a Goodwill store for deals. I don’t really like going there everything seems dirty, things are sorted by only the broadest of categories, but my wife loves it because she has managed to find some appliances in very good condition and out of print books from authors that she likes. The staff is friendly, prices are below rock bottom, and all the profits support Goodwill so I can’t really complain too much.

While my wife checked for toys for our children I went over to the trough where the books were kept. Found a couple of Disney books for our youngest daughter, and a book in a series that my wife was collecting. While rummaging at the bottom I found an unmarked thick leatherbound book. It looks like it had a clasp and lock at some point, but it had been broken off. I figured it was someone’s diary or journal that had accidentally gotten mixed up in a donation pile.

Out of curiosity I opened the book ostensibly looking for owner information so I could return it, but really because I just wanted to be naughty and read someone else’s diary. Inside I found something strange: The book was written in Old English.

Unfortunately there was no title and I can’t read Old English so I had no idea what the book was about. I decided to buy it anyway and see if I could get it translated. It might be a restored manuscript that got lost from a rare books collection. Maybe there would be a reward for its return? Or maybe it was the product of some board English Post Doc screwing around.

We checked out with the books, and when we got to the car I showed my wife the book. She agreed that we should have someone look it over in case it was a lost book. I pulled out my cell and gave one of my former English professor’s a call. In his class he showed us copies of Old English as part of an introduction to Beowulf, so I figured either he would be interested in this book himself or he would know someone that would want it. He said his office hours had just started and would be very interested in seeing what I found. I told him we would be their within the hour.

As we pulled out of the parking lot I glanced at the rear view mirror and thought I saw a man in a suit next to the building staring in our direction. I looked again and no one was there. Probably someone was just walking into the building and my mind was playing tricks on me.

University parking is a bitch. We had to walk across almost the entire campus to reach his office. My mind played tricks on me the whole walk. Kept thinking I saw a pale man in a dark suit out of the corner of my eye, or behind me in security mirrors, or on the other side of classrooms through the door windows. Everytime I would turn and every time there would be nothing, or there would be students looking at me oddly. My wife started to get embarrassed and asked me to stop it.

We eventually arrived at the professor's office and showed him the book. He started reading it and mouthing something, probably the words themselves. His eyes went wide, his expression became very stiff.

I asked him, “Do you know what it is?”

He just looked at me and said in a slow almost robotic cadence, “May I please borrow it?”

My skin started to crawl, something was really off about him, but I said, “Sure.”

I looked at my wife and she was clearly feeling uncomfortable so we turned to leave. Just before we closed the door behind us we heard the professor say in that same slow methodical tone, “Come back tomorrow.”

The night was fine, no nightmares, and my brain stopped playing tricks on me. I guess the unknown nature of the book really got to me.

I went back this morning to see what the professor found out. I knew he had morning classes, but figured I could talk to him in between. I got there about ten minutes after his class was supposed to start, however students were leaving his class room. I asked one of them why everyone was leaving.

“Professor didn’t show up.”

My stomach turned. My skin felt like pins and needles. I shivered. I was standing under an A/C vent...

On a hunch I ran over to the professor’s office. I knocked. No answer.

I knocked again, “Hello, professor? Are you in?” No answer.

I turned the handel. And slowly opened the door. The office was a mess. Books were everywhere, and at the desk the professor sat. Completely stiff with eyes wide and mouth agape. The desk was just as messy. Papers everywhere, with what appeared to be a pile of ash in the center. Some of the papers were partially burned, I took one of the half burned pages out of the ash pile.

Only two lines were left. The first was a row of Old English and the second was presumably its translation.

''“...and so he comes when the order is disturbed. To punish hubris, and feed the ancients.”''

On the ground next to the professor’s chair was a stack of papers with the book sitting on top. I took the book off and picked up the first page. All hand written, the title centered at the top was, “Necronomicon.” The text was merely one phrase repeated over and over:

“The Order must be preserved.”

The odd thing was there were spacing between paragraphs and indentations. There was this phrase in quotes with a comma before the end quote. Some phrases ended with a period. Others a question mark. Others exclamation points, and some with a footnote number. Checking the references on the last page each footnote only repeated the same phrase.

I put everything back exactly as I found it and called 911. The paramedics and police came and I told them how I had found the professor and what I did in the room. The officers were not happy that I had touched anything and were clear that if I touched anything else or removed anything from the room I would be charged with Obstruction. The paramedics said it looked like he died of a heart attack, however they found some marks cut into his chest. I got a quick look and they looked similar to the symbols in the book.

They placed the professor’s body on a gurney and covered it with a black sheet and wheeled him out.

The officers escorted me from the scene and they put up yellow tape so no one can get in until after the investigation concludes. They told me not to leave town in case they had any questions for me.

I watched from a distance as the investigators carefully bagged, tagged, and photographed the area. I saw them place the book into a plastic bag, and the bag into a box with other evidence. I don’t know what will become of it, but its probably going to sit in an evidence locker until the investigation is finished.

Once that’s done it will either be given to his family or sold at an auction. If you do manage to find it keep it well hidden. I don’t know what happened, but I hope it doesn't happen to you.