Holder of Obedience

In any city, in any country, go to any school or educational facility you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls herself "The Holder of Obedience". The secretary will blithely write your name onto a list without having to ask for it, then direct you down the hallway. She will ignore you from then on, even if you address her directly.

Follow the secretary's directions and you will find yourself in front of a door to an office. When you open it, there will be another door behind it. You may well find yourself opening doors in futility for the rest of eternity.

If you eventually make it into the room behind the doors, however, then you will find it rather plain and unadorned. Behind the desk will be a woman wearing outdated clothes and hairstyles, her face caked with so much makeup that you may well mistake it for a ghoulish death mask. She will motion for you to take a seat, but ignore her and instead ask, "Whom should I obey?"

The lady at the desk will point down the hall from which you came. You will see that the many doors have disappeared, and the hallway has grown to an infinite length. Somewhere far down it, at the very edge of your vision, will be a desk.

Run to the desk; do not walk. Sprint with all the might you can muster. You will feel time slow to a crawl, and a thousand commanding voices will crowd your mind and drown out your thoughts. You must fight through the madness of this hallway and reach the desk before time runs out, or you will run ceaselessly until all time ends.

The moment you make contact with the desk, the voices will stop abruptly and time will revert to normal. On the desk will be a purple photo album with a strange design on the front cover. The moment you touch it, the woman from the office will appear beside you. She will tell you the full consequences of opening the photo album and learning the true answer to your question. The truth is far too great for any mind, mortal or otherwise, to handle. It is best to heed her warning and leave the album unopened.

When you affirm that you will not open the album, the woman will give you a hammer. Use it to strike the album with all your strength. Both the hammer and the woman will shatter like glass, and you will soon find that the hallway is once again that of a normal school building. Take the photo album and leave quickly. The next day, the local news will report of a school faculty member murdered by a mentally disturbed student.

The photo album is Object 172 of 538. To open it is to enslave the world.