The book

We ducked our head inside the blanket! Exchanging a glance with Patrise I guessed that she was thinking someway as if my mind was packing my brain. We were asking ourselves that, Where I found that book of summoning?

It was my turn to squeeze my brain and remember.

"Can you remember anything now?" She asked.

My hazy memories that were lurking around for themselves now were gathering to answer her questions. There was a frowzy building at the end of the street that we used to live. Although living in a rich district no one ever dared to near that place because people believed that building was cursed.

The urbanization and related organizations with them had not the guts to enter the building nor ruin it. Why? Because of the screeches of a woman and those who entered came back mad and spent months in psychiatric hospitals to be healed.

"Yes, I remembered where I found this book!" I blurted yet deliberating among my memories.

"Where? Beyond the shield?" She looked frightened and when I shook my head, she heaved a breath out of relief.

"It is better for all of us!" She said.

"I found it in the cursed building the first year we moved in Rose Vita. I didn't dare to open it because the lady said I should destroy it but that night I gathered my courage to see what's going on inside it."

The book allowed the memories to arise in my brain. Those days I was alone and couldn't find any friends at school. At first, I had no idea what was going on in that building and no one ever warned me so I drank the sip of courage in one shot, and after hearing the screech, moved in to see if anyone needed help. Then after that day, I discovered what had happened already.

It was dawn and the sun was slipping down, melting behind the buildings. As I entered the building the noises shut down, instead, I heard a woman's voice. She appeared on the stairs and led me to the basement.

She asked my help to be freed and once I accepted she took me to a messy room. The book was buried under dust. From the beginning, I didn't feel fear either worry but as soon as I saw that huge book with a leather-locked cover, I panicked. It was infusing my heart with a pack of nervousness.

I was about to get nine years old, only two months until my birthday and I was still young to meet such a thing. On the other hand, I was alone, and Bo Wong, my best friend in Lake Vita taught me we shall always hand people like his father. I just wanted to help people who were in need, and it was a sort of help.

She told me that the book had cursed her thus; she couldn't cross the alive world and begin another life. She pleaded with me to take the book out of the building therefore, she could leave. I heard her story and felt pity, it shook my heart, and I didn't refuse her beg.

I moved to pick the book although I doubted if it was the right thing to do. She told me to walk in her shoes and with my strong imaginations, I did so! I couldn't endure such misery at all. She was supposed to making her life to the next level.

My hand touched the book; I swiftly snatched and tossed it into my school bag before I changed my mind. Right after that, I saw the woman in torn nightgown smiled at me satisfyingly and faded away. Her voice lingered in my brain, thanking me for aiding her. She warned me to destroy it but my curiosity dragged me almost to the grave and it had been seeking me.

After that, I called Bo various times to share what I found but he didn't pick the call as he was upset with me for leaving Lake Vita. I assumed that we weren't friends anymore. Then I gave up on him and I left alone.

I was close to my brothers but not the much to share such thing with them and listen to them scolding me for being fearless and putting my nose in something, that was none of my business. That night arrived, I was ten and could not hold back my desire to see what was in that book. I thought I was matured enough to open it so I went ahead of a big mistake.

"Tell me the story later!" she interrupted my thoughts. Even glancing at the images on each paper of the book was scary.

Both of us left stunned as the younger me flipped to the next page. Summoning of Lashuka was the title of the new chapter. It was a holy book of Lashuka worshipers that I found. Then I was whispering the words inside a box.

Patrise pouted and my eyes rolled from her to the younger me, saying, "No! Stop it."

The younger me yanked back and I could feel the goosebumps on our skin. It was strange looking at frightened me at a young age. My eyes were flickering but yet looked curious.

My young version shook her head, shoving the fear away and ruined my keenness. I thought that she heard my voice but she simply ignored her inward warn and began to continue.

"What shall we do to stop me! I think that something horrible is coming to us." I begged.

"We can't interfere! We just can witness because if we took hold of the circumstances then the dark god would simply catch us. It happened to you in the past so be patient let us see what happened to you." She suggested and I had no other way but to obey.

The little me finished and at the same time, the gale knocked on the window, making it shiver. I slammed the book and rubbed the blanket away, running there to see if it was a bird, hitting the window but there was nothing.

I went back to bed and slept, letting the book be where it was.

We walked across the bed looking at me that hastily was snoring. I didn't know that I was supposed to snore while deeply drown in my heavy sleep.

A dark cloud began to shape above my head and Patrise jumped back, pulling me with herself.

"What the hell I have done to myself?"