CHAPTER FIVE

 

CHAPTER FIVE

Through tightly closed eyelids, Tom saw some light, a good sign.  He was not completely blind.  He opened his eyes.  The clear image of the cloth with the serpent on it was the first thing he saw.

He felt relief at not being blind, yet he was angry with himself for taking such a risk.  He looked around the room.  On the floor of his living room were the burnt-out candles, incense, and empty vial.

“It looks like a crack addict lives here.  What would Angela think if she saw me now, naked and stoned?

He looked for the book, but it was gone.  It was not on the coffee table where he left it.  Searching for the apartment, he found it sitting on the open windowsill in the kitchen.

He assumed he must have put it there when he was wandering around his apartment in a drugged state.

Tom reached for the book.  A gust of wind sent it flying down to the sidewalk three floors below.  Still naked he ran down the steps.  He was outside in less than a minute.

Even though he did not actually believe it, he felt inside that if he lost the book, he might not be able to reverse the ceremony.  His feet were numb from the frozen sidewalk, and he shivered uncontrollably from a wintry gust on his bare back.  When he picked up the book, he was surprised it was not damaged, not even a scratch or dent.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Tom yelled at a lady passerby.  Surprised at seeing a naked man standing on the cold street she turned her head and quickly walked away.

A moment later, he was once again in his kitchen looking through the book for the chapter.  He was in a hurry to reverse the procedure.  He was sure the entire experience was due to whatever was in the blue liquid from the vial.  Even the smoke from the candles and incense had an effect.  All he wanted now was for everything to be back to normal.

Tom thought about how sometimes everyone performed some small ritual to ease their anxiety.  Some people knock on wood.  Others cross their fingers.  He wanted to read the chapter so he could reverse a spell he did not genuinely believe in.  It would make him feel better about the whole experience.

But when he looked for the chapter, it was not there.  There were several blank pages between the chapter before and the chapter after but nothing where the chapter should have been.  There was no drawing, nothing but blank pages.  That was when he feared he was in for some trouble.

His pulse raced, he broke out in a cold sweat and felt an intense tightness in the pit of his stomach.  He was not sure if it was the aftereffects of drinking the vial of liquid or if it was only fear.

All he wanted now was a new start with Angela.  He put on his clothes, grabbed the book, and ran down the stairs.  He was on his way back to the bookstore to set things right.

On his way to the bookstore Tom passed a gas station with a combination donut, ice cream and sandwich shop inside.  He decided to go in for a quick breakfast.

He walked up to the counter and passed several other customers wandering through the store.  The man behind the cash register seemed bored and angry.

“I’d like a jelly donut with coffee and some orange juice please.”

“We only have orange juice in a quart or half gallon container.  The donuts are on a rack on the side wall.  The coffee is in the center aisle.  A few tables and chairs are by the window.  Grab what you need, and I’ll ring it up.”

Tom imagined smashing his book into the man’s face splattering blood in every direction.  The vivid images came to him unexpectedly and involuntarily.  He closed his eyes and shuttered in horror.

“Are you alright or what?” The cashier asked more annoyed than concerned for Tom’s wellbeing.

Tom did not answer.  He gathered what he wanted, paid for it and then took a seat at the last table in the corner by the front window.  After a sip of coffee and a bite of the donut, he took the book out for another look.

He hoped that somehow the instructions on reversing the ceremony were still in the book.  He checked to make sure if a printing error may have resulted in the chapters not being in numerical order.  No, only blank pages were where the chapter once was.

Frustrated he began reading the next chapter titled Guiding Forces.  The illustration was of a man walking down an alley with the light source coming from behind projecting his shadow in front.  Other shadows in lighter shades of grey came from different directions.

"A new guiding force will soon come into your life.  This force will help you realize all the options now open to you.  It is up to you to follow the new path your life will take."

 

Tom took another bite of his donut, washed it down with some more coffee, and then returned to the book.

 

“This guiding force is sometimes experienced as a new thought or idea.  Often it is only a vague feeling, one that would never have occurred to you.

Sometimes the feeling that someone is watching might precede the thought.  At other times, you may see a vague image moving from the corner of your eye.  However, after turning your head you will see nothing there.”

 

Tom was sure the entire description was nonsense.  The author might be using the power of suggestion to make him believe that the changes in his life were happening.

 

“Your senses are now heightened.  Your reflexes are quicker.  You have precise control of your actions.  You will need to use these powers in your new life.”

 

Finished with his meal of caffeine, sugar, and fat; he discarded the remnants in the trash.  The bookstore was down the street.  He was eager to put an end to his involvement with the book.

At first, he walked right past the bookstore without seeing it.  He stopped at the corner and retraced his steps until he found a bookstore, but it was not the same.

A red-lettered sign on a black background displayed a new name for the store, A Band of Books.  It replaced the faded and chipped gold lettered sign on the old door, Abandoned Books.

Through the window he saw couches and chairs.  Sturdy wood shelves replaced the rickety shelves he saw the night before.  The well-lit store had a tall ceiling with the usual security cameras hiding behind the obvious black half-globe covers. In the back of the store was a coffee shop.

An electronic beep replaced the jangle of sleigh bells as he stepped up into the store.

“May I help you?”  The woman behind the cash register asked him.  She was an attractive woman in her late thirties.  Her tight skirt and low-cut blouse revealed a firm athletic body.

“I can’t believe how much you’ve improved the store.  Last night it looked like a dump.  Now it’s brand new.  When did this all happen?”  Tom asked.

"What do you mean?”  She seemed puzzled.

"We’ll be here for three years, come this December.”

"That’s not possible. I was here last night.  All this was not here.”

She gave him a strange look.

“Maybe you were somewhere else.”

Tom was not sure what to say.  He was sure he was in this store the night before.  Instead of continuing to question her, he decided to get down to the business of returning the book.

“Are you the manager of this bookstore?”

“Yes I am.”

“Well last night I left the store and forgot to pay for this book.  It wasn’t until I got home that I remembered,” he tried to put a nicer spin on his shoplifting to prevent any trouble.

She took the book from him and turned it over to look at the front and back cover.  Then she cracked the book open for a moment before slamming it shut.

“This is not one of our books.  Perhaps you forgot to pay for it at some other bookstore,” she said, putting an emphasis on the word “forgot”, implying Tom was dishonest.

Tom could not concentrate.  He saw the woman’s lips moving but could not respond.

“Hey, wake up.  I said this is not one of our books.  Are you listening to me?  I’m busy.  Take the book and leave.”

Still there was no response from Tom.

“Please go now.  I’m busy.  I can’t stand here trying to get an intelligent response from you.”

“How can you be so sure?” Tom asked.

“We don’t stock diaries or journals.”

Tom chose not to insist.  She must have seen the blank pages where the missing chapter was supposed to be and assumed the entire book was blank.

“Sorry to have bothered you.  I’ll check the other bookstore.”

“I’m sure you will,” she said emphasizing the word “sure”.  She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

In a hurry to get ready for his date with Angela he shoved the book back into the pocket of his shoulder bag then headed for home.

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