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00:00:01
The man in the red tie was waiting on my00:00:04
doorstep when I got back from my shift00:00:06
at the warehouse. My last shift at the00:00:08
warehouse to be precise.00:00:11
Without warning, my entire crew had been00:00:13
laid off. I had driven home in a numb00:00:16
haze, half thrilled that I might never00:00:18
see that soul sucking place again and00:00:20
half terrified about how I was going to00:00:22
pay next month's rent. I was so00:00:25
distracted that I almost walked right00:00:26
over top of the guy. Benjamin Alexander00:00:30
Hearn?" he asked officiously. I told him00:00:33
that just Ben was fine. Nobody had00:00:36
called me Benjamin since high school00:00:38
detention.00:00:40
My name is Ozgood Mosby of Mosby and Sun00:00:44
Solicitors.00:00:46
The man in the red tie went on.00:00:49
I have an important message for you00:00:51
regarding the final testament of00:00:53
Jennifer Price. May we speak inside.00:00:57
Jennifer Price. I hadn't thought about00:01:00
my mother in years. Apart from the00:01:02
photos that my father had shown me when00:01:04
I was a child, I had never actually seen00:01:07
her, and that was fine with me. As far00:01:10
as I was concerned, my father was my00:01:12
only real family. Jennifer Price was00:01:15
just some woman who had brought me into00:01:17
the world and then left me to fend for00:01:18
myself. To his credit, my father never00:01:22
blamed her for walking out on us. When I00:01:24
asked why she left, he would only shrug00:01:27
and say, "Oh, I'm sure she had her00:01:29
reasons." After a long day of work, he00:01:32
barely had the energy to heat up dinner00:01:34
and play with me for an hour or two00:01:36
before collapsing into bed. And as I got00:01:38
older, I came to understand that the00:01:40
questions that I was asking only caused00:01:42
him pain. If he was keeping any of my00:01:45
mother's secrets, he took them with him00:01:48
to the grave. I stared down at the00:01:50
manila envelope in the little bald00:01:52
lawyer's hands, wondering what it could00:01:55
possibly contain.00:01:57
An apology letter, the rights to some00:01:59
mostly empty bank accounts and a00:02:01
mountain of debt.00:02:04
It wasn't until I sat down across from00:02:06
Osgood Mosley that I realized what his00:02:08
visit really meant.00:02:10
My mother, my last living relative, had00:02:13
passed on.00:02:15
It was a lonely, hollow feeling, and I00:02:17
hadn't expected it to hit quite so hard.00:02:21
Fistly, Benjamin, let me say that I'm00:02:23
sorry for your loss. Osgood Mosby began.00:02:27
Oh, these visits are never easy, but00:02:30
we've been entrusted with the execution00:02:32
of your mother's will.00:02:35
The lawyer paused. Something about the00:02:38
situation rubbed him the wrong way, but00:02:40
I couldn't tell what.00:02:42
As you'll see here, he continued, her00:02:46
assets are entirely tied up in weeping00:02:48
tree books. Taking ownership of the00:02:51
store is therefore practically a00:02:53
requirement to inherit.00:02:55
I blinked.00:02:57
My mother had owned a bookstore.00:03:00
Stranger still was the address. It was00:03:02
less than a 15-minute drive away. I had00:03:06
always imagined my mother living with00:03:08
some swanky New York art dealer or belly00:03:10
dancing on some hippie commune out west,00:03:13
but apparently she had never left my00:03:15
hometown.00:03:17
Why had she never reached out to us?00:03:19
Part of me wanted to rip the packet and00:03:21
throw it in the trash, but another part00:03:24
was grimly curious to know what had made00:03:26
this bookstore so much more important00:03:28
than our own flesh and blood.00:03:31
Looking through the numbers gave me00:03:32
another reason to hesitate.00:03:35
While weeping tree books wasn't going to00:03:37
make me rich by any means, it would be00:03:40
better than scrging around for another00:03:42
warehouse job.00:03:45
Ozgood waited patiently while I read and00:03:48
then we signed some papers and he told00:03:49
me that he would be in touch.00:03:52
Something jangled in the bottom of the00:03:54
folder.00:03:55
The bookstore keys. Ask explained.00:04:00
Ordinarily, I wouldn't leave them with00:04:02
you until everything is finalized, but00:04:04
this is hardly an ordinary situation.00:04:08
Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."00:04:12
With that, the lawyer stood, adjusted00:04:14
his tie, and left.00:04:16
As soon as I was sure that he was gone,00:04:18
I bolted to my car and sped across town00:04:20
to a place that I had never heard of, a00:04:23
little shop called Weeping Tree Books.00:04:28
The place wasn't easy to find. It was00:04:31
located in a maze of courtyard shops set00:04:34
back from the nearest street.00:04:37
If I hadn't been looking for it, I don't00:04:38
know how I would have even known that it00:04:40
was there.00:04:42
The other stores included an accounting00:04:44
firm, a nail salon, and a00:04:46
hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant.00:04:50
None of them seemed very busy, but I00:04:52
could see right away how the shop had00:04:54
gotten its name.00:04:56
There was a tall, gnarled willow tree in00:04:58
the center of the courtyard. I pressed00:05:01
my face against the window of the00:05:03
bookstore, but I couldn't make out00:05:05
anything in the dusty gloom. It felt00:05:07
like I was being watched, but the only00:05:09
living thing nearby was the enormous00:05:11
tree at my back.00:05:14
With a shiver, I turned the key in the00:05:16
lock.00:05:20
A dusty bell clanged over my head as I00:05:22
stepped inside.00:05:25
I don't know what I was expecting. With00:05:27
its yellowed ceiling and ugly gray and00:05:30
green carpet, the place felt like a00:05:32
gigantic filing cabinet.00:05:36
Narrow aisles took a surreptitious route00:05:39
toward the back of the store, which from00:05:41
where I was standing I couldn't even00:05:44
see.00:05:45
Behind the display shelves was a wooden00:05:48
counter, an old-fashioned cash register,00:05:51
and a door labeled staff.00:05:54
My throat tightened. I felt my heartbeat00:05:57
accelerate.00:05:59
If my mother had left anything behind,00:06:02
that's where it would be.00:06:05
I was heading toward it when I heard a00:06:06
loud thump from the nearest aisle. A00:06:09
book had fallen from a shelf. It was so00:06:12
large and heavy that I couldn't imagine00:06:14
how it could have happened unless it had00:06:16
been pushed.00:06:18
"Hello,"00:06:20
I called out. Of course, nobody00:06:22
answered.00:06:24
With the hair on the back of my neck00:06:26
standing up, I continued toward the00:06:28
staff room door. I found the key, pushed00:06:31
open it, and gasped.00:06:34
The room on the other side was a mini00:06:36
apartment, complete with a twinized bed,00:06:39
a miniature bathroom, and overhead00:06:41
storage.00:06:43
It reminded me of photos that I had seen00:06:45
of living quarters on submarines,00:06:48
rugged and almost cozy in a00:06:50
claustrophobic sort of way.00:06:54
The bed was unmade as though somebody,00:06:56
maybe even my mother, had been sleeping00:06:58
in it recently.00:07:00
A woman's clothes were in the cabinets,00:07:02
and there were other signs of life as00:07:04
well. Clothes, perfume, toothpaste. A00:07:09
tiny wrinkled photo was stuck in the00:07:10
corner of the mirror.00:07:12
It was a picture of a baby00:07:15
of me.00:07:18
The strangest thing was the total00:07:20
absence of technology.00:07:22
There was no laptop or alarm clock, not00:07:25
even a phone charger.00:07:27
I pulled my own phone from my pocket and00:07:30
discovered uneasily that even though we00:07:32
were in the middle of town, I didn't00:07:34
have any surveys.00:07:37
The dusty bell above the main door00:07:39
clanged. a customer. Now, I was going to00:07:43
have to explain to them who I was, what00:07:45
I was doing there, and why the shop was,00:07:47
in fact, still closed.00:07:50
I took a deep breath and turned around.00:07:53
>> You're not Jenny.00:07:55
>> The wispy voice came from a young girl00:07:57
in an old-fashioned dress. The evening00:07:59
sun at her back made it impossible to00:08:01
see her face, but her irritation was00:08:04
clear and a little frightening. I felt00:08:07
like I was being accused of something.00:08:10
Jenny, I mean, Miss Price isn't00:08:13
available right now. We're actually not00:08:15
even open for business. So,00:08:17
>> Jenny said my order would be here. She00:08:19
promised.00:08:21
>> The girl took a step toward me and00:08:22
extracted something from the apron of00:08:24
her dress. Something bladed and razor00:08:27
sharp that glinted in the dying rays of00:08:30
sunlight.00:08:31
She had a knife.00:08:33
>> "I want my order,"00:08:35
>> the girl repeated, shaking with anger.00:08:39
I was about to yell something about how00:08:41
I would call the police if she didn't00:08:42
leave, but my cell wasn't working. And00:08:45
even the fragile looking child in front00:08:47
of me could do a lot of damage to me or00:08:49
herself with that sharp edge before they00:08:52
got here. I put on my dumbass customer00:08:55
service face and asked if she knew where00:08:57
Jenny usually kept the orders.00:08:59
>> Beneath the counter right there,00:09:02
>> she pointed as though I might be too00:09:04
stupid to see it. I bent down and found00:09:07
a shelf labeled reserved. There was only00:09:10
one book on it, a secondhand copy of00:09:12
some teen slasher novel from the '9s.00:09:16
I stood to hand it to her, only to00:09:18
discover that she was standing behind00:09:20
me.00:09:21
>> It's a good thing you had this,00:09:23
>> she whispered as she slipped the book00:09:25
out of my hand. I shook my head. She was00:09:29
obviously going to tell me whether I00:09:31
wanted to hear it or not.00:09:33
>> I wouldn't have hurt you. No, nothing00:09:35
that easy. I would have just started to00:09:38
scream and then when somebody came00:09:40
running, I would have taken your hand00:09:42
like this. She gripped my wrist. Her00:09:46
fingers were small, cold, and tideously00:09:48
strong.00:09:50
>> And then I would have plunged this big00:09:52
old knife right into my throat.00:09:54
>> The girl smiled up at me.00:09:56
>> Do you know what they do to child00:09:58
murderers in prison? Before I could00:10:01
answer, she slipped the massive blade00:10:03
back into the pocket of her apron,00:10:04
picked up the book, and left the store.00:10:07
>> "When you see Jenny in hell, tell her00:10:09
that Esme says hi,"00:10:11
>> the girl shouted and then let the door00:10:13
slam behind her.00:10:16
I waited a beat and then ran to alert00:10:18
the authorities.00:10:20
"Or at least I tried to. Something odd00:10:23
happened when I reached the display00:10:25
shelves. The floor beneath my feet00:10:27
seemed to stretch somehow.00:10:30
No matter how hard I sprinted, I just00:10:32
couldn't advance. It was maddening and00:10:35
dizzying.00:10:37
I grabbed my knees woozily and then00:10:39
tried to jump forward instead.00:10:41
Nothing. I got the same result from00:10:44
walking backwards, climbing onto the00:10:47
display case, slithering across the00:10:49
carpet with my eyes shut.00:10:52
I wasn't sure which possibility was more00:10:54
horrifying that I had lost my mind and00:10:57
all of this was in my head or that I had00:10:59
somehow become a prisoner of weeping00:11:02
tree books.00:11:04
I was running out of things to try and00:11:06
it was getting dark.00:11:08
Another book had tumbled from the shelf,00:11:10
but I wasn't going to investigate. Now00:11:13
with the bookstore already so gloomy00:11:15
that I could barely see my hand in front00:11:17
of my face.00:11:19
I had an awful feeling that if I started00:11:21
down one of those aisles, I would turn00:11:23
around to find that the shelves had00:11:25
rearranged themselves and the way back00:11:27
to daylight had been closed off to me00:11:29
forever.00:11:31
With a tense look over my shoulder, I00:11:33
made my way to the door marked staff. I00:11:36
closed it behind me and I laid down in00:11:38
the darkness to wait for morning.00:11:42
I dreamed of black, hairy hands holding00:11:44
me down and cracking open my chest as00:11:46
though it were a book.00:11:48
They peeled away my skin layer by layer00:11:51
as though each one were a separate page.00:11:55
No matter how much it hurt, however, I00:11:57
just didn't have the strength to escape.00:12:02
My eyes snapped open. I had gotten00:12:04
tangled in the bed sheets. The stuffy00:12:07
little room was still pitch black, but00:12:09
more than just the nightmare had jolted00:12:11
me awake. Something was turning the00:12:13
handle of the door.00:12:16
Blinding light flooded into the room. I00:12:19
threw my hands up in front of my face00:12:21
and screamed.00:12:22
"Oh, forgive the intrusion,"00:12:25
Osgood Mosley said and adjusted his tie.00:12:29
"Oh, when I didn't find you at home, I00:12:31
suspected where you might have gone. I00:12:33
suppose you've noticed that you're00:12:35
unable to leave."00:12:37
I thought back to the night before to00:12:39
the ugly carpet extended beneath my feet00:12:42
like some sort of horrible gray and00:12:44
green ocean. The memory made my empty00:12:47
stomach roll. I groaned and asked Ozgood00:12:50
what the hell he was talking about.00:12:54
Oh, you're the bookkeeper now. The store00:12:57
will not permit you to exit. Right now,00:13:00
I suppose you're imagining yourself00:13:01
tunneling under the floor or breaking00:13:03
out through the ceiling. But whatever00:13:06
you're thinking, I assure you that00:13:07
another bookkeeper's already tried it00:13:09
and failed.00:13:11
The sooner you accept your fate, the00:13:13
better it will be for everyone involved.00:13:16
I didn't want to believe him, but his00:13:18
words carried the weight of a judge's00:13:20
life sentence. If what he was saying was00:13:23
true, all I had left in the world was00:13:26
what I had walked in with. my wallet and00:13:29
keys, a cell phone that didn't work, and00:13:32
the lighter that I still carried even00:13:34
though I had quit smoking years ago.00:13:38
I clenched my hands into fists and00:13:40
demanded to know how he could have put00:13:42
me in this situation. Wasn't he supposed00:13:44
to be my mother's attorney?00:13:47
Oh, I never said Jennifer Price was our00:13:50
client. Ozgood huffed, sounding hurt. I00:13:54
said that we've been charged with the00:13:56
execution of her will. In this case, we00:13:59
work at the behest of the Weeping Tree00:14:01
Books Trust Fund. We have a contract00:14:04
with the Chinese restaurant across the00:14:06
plaza. They'll provide you with three00:14:08
meals per day and whatever toiletries00:14:10
you need. If there are any other issues,00:14:13
you can inform me when I come by to00:14:15
empty the till each Friday.00:14:18
I fired off one angry question after00:14:20
another, but Ozga just held up his hand.00:14:24
Oh, I'm really not at liberty to say00:14:26
anything more, although I do suggest00:14:28
that you avoid damaging or angering the00:14:31
store in any way. If you do, the lawyer00:14:34
chuckled, the expanding carpet will be00:14:38
the least of your worries.00:14:41
I've never been a violent person. Even00:14:44
when things didn't go my way, I was00:14:46
usually able to keep my temper in check.00:14:50
But something about the smirk on that00:14:52
smug lawyer's face made me see red.00:14:56
As I lunged at him, he backed away until00:14:58
he had passed the display case. No00:15:01
matter how hard I swung my fist now, it00:15:04
wouldn't be enough to get at him. The00:15:07
dictionary that I chucked at his head00:15:08
fell at my feet as though I had simply00:15:10
dropped it.00:15:13
Good luck, Benjamin.00:15:15
As good Mosley sighed and then walked00:15:17
out of the door.00:15:20
It was only after he was gone that I00:15:22
noticed the takeout bag on the counter.00:15:25
I had never eaten lukewarm Kungpow00:15:28
chicken for breakfast before, but my00:15:29
hunger made it delicious.00:15:32
There was something comforting about the00:15:34
familiarity of the food. It reminded me00:15:38
that no matter how surreal my situation00:15:40
had become, I was still alive and00:15:43
kicking.00:15:44
I had shelter, sustenance, and my00:15:46
faculties intact. I didn't have to go00:15:49
down without a fight.00:15:53
The first order of business was to find00:15:55
the circuit breaker. It turned out to be00:15:58
right behind the door of the staff room.00:16:00
I could have even found it the night00:16:02
before if the shop hadn't been so damn.00:16:06
With the lights finally on, it was time00:16:07
to explore my new prison.00:16:10
By the time that I got to the end of the00:16:12
first aisle, I realized that little00:16:15
wasn't a word that could be applied00:16:16
here. The space was low ceiling and00:16:20
narrow, but another room full of shelves00:16:23
expanded to my right and to my left. A00:16:26
steep set of wooden stairs led to still00:16:28
more floors.00:16:31
The rational side of my mind knew that00:16:33
what I was seeing was impossible.00:16:36
There should have been apartments00:16:37
directly above and other stores on00:16:40
either side. But physics, it didn't seem00:16:43
to matter much inside of weeping tree00:16:45
books.00:16:47
My foot banged against something as I00:16:49
walked. It was the book that had fallen00:16:52
from the shelf the night before.00:16:54
I picked it up and began to read.00:16:58
Benjamin Alexander Hearn didn't know00:17:01
what the little blue book contained, but00:17:04
seeing his own name in it made his00:17:05
stomach queasy.00:17:08
His eyes darted obsessively over the00:17:10
page, completely oblivious to the00:17:13
burning man standing behind him, eager00:17:16
to wrap his charred, bony fingers around00:17:18
his neck.00:17:21
I gasped and looked over my shoulder.00:17:24
The aisle was empty, but I could have00:17:26
sworn that I smelled charcoal in the00:17:28
air.00:17:30
When I glanced back down at the book,00:17:32
its pages were blank. Maybe, I thought00:17:35
queasily, if they always had been.00:17:39
The bell above the door clanged, and I00:17:41
was grateful for an excuse to hurry back00:17:43
to the counter.00:17:45
The freckly, curly-haired guy in the00:17:47
doorway fiddled uneasily with the device00:17:49
in his hand while he waited.00:17:52
a sign for this? He grunted and nudging00:17:55
the cardboard box in front of him with00:17:57
the toe of his boot.00:17:59
When I asked what was inside, he just00:18:01
shrugged. And don't ask me, man. I just00:18:04
deliver the packages.00:18:06
He squinted hard at me. Hey, you're new,00:18:09
huh? The lady before was a lot nicer.00:18:13
She always had a pot of tea ready when I00:18:15
stopped by. I technically wasn't00:18:17
supposed to have any because I was on00:18:19
the clock and all, but he shrugged00:18:22
again. She used to say that I reminded00:18:24
her of her son. And do you know what00:18:27
happened to her? I felt the blood rush00:18:29
from my face. This was too much to00:18:32
handle all at once.00:18:35
I signed for the package, apologized for00:18:37
not having any drinks to offer, and I00:18:39
told him that I would see him next time.00:18:42
I hope so," he said om ominously and00:18:46
then shouldered back out through the00:18:47
door.00:18:50
Almost reluctantly, I retrieved some00:18:52
scissors from below the counter and00:18:54
opened the box. It contained about two00:18:57
dozen secondhand books. Two were marked00:19:00
as special orders. I thought of Esme and00:19:03
her knife and shivered.00:19:06
The rest bore a note in some weird00:19:08
foreign language.00:19:10
As I looked away from the words,00:19:11
however, they seemed to come into focus,00:19:14
it was as though I could only read them00:19:16
from the corner of my eye.00:19:19
The message they carried was even00:19:21
stranger.00:19:23
Stock before nightfall, it read.00:19:27
It appeared that I would be exploring00:19:29
the rest of the store sooner than I00:19:31
thought.00:19:32
I loaded the books onto the hand cart00:19:34
beside the staff room and headed into00:19:36
the depths of the bookstore, making sure00:19:39
to take a different aisle than I had the00:19:41
first time.00:19:43
It was that quick decision, seemingly00:19:45
unimportant at the time, which00:19:47
ultimately saved my life.00:19:50
As I walked, I became aware of a thin00:19:53
red wire running along the floor. It00:19:56
bent and twisted with the bookshelves,00:19:58
turning at random, and I found myself00:20:01
following it.00:20:03
Since I didn't know where I was going,00:20:04
it didn't matter which route I took.00:20:07
What mattered was being able to find my00:20:09
way back.00:20:12
At first, I thought that weeping tree00:20:14
was laid out like a normal bookstore.00:20:16
There were sections for romance, a00:20:18
science fiction, history. There was even00:20:21
a kids section.00:20:23
The further I went, however, the more00:20:25
obvious it became that my impression had00:20:28
been wrong.00:20:29
The signs above the aisles and nooks and00:20:32
reading areas became more bizarre.00:20:34
Cryptozoolology,00:20:36
non-ukitian geometry,00:20:39
alternate futures.00:20:41
The some of the labels were in other00:20:43
languages, pictures, and hieroglyphics.00:20:47
I wished I could stop and browse through00:20:49
some of them, but I was too busy looking00:20:51
for a section where the delivery books00:20:53
might fit.00:20:55
They all seemed to be old biographies of00:20:58
saints, although not from any religion00:21:00
that I had ever heard of.00:21:03
Sweat ran down my back. My hands were00:21:05
numb from hauling the hand cart, and the00:21:08
lights overhead had started to feel like00:21:10
the sun of some sweltering desert.00:21:14
Most disturbing of all, I was no longer00:21:16
sure exactly how long I had been00:21:18
walking. It felt like hours, but it00:21:20
could have been more. The only thing00:21:23
that I was certain of was the red cable00:21:25
I was following along the floor.00:21:28
At some point, I heard a bang from00:21:30
inside the box.00:21:33
I hadn't hit any bumps, and yet a book00:21:35
called The Agony of Saint Anora had00:21:38
toppled over.00:21:40
As I put it back in place, it shuddered00:21:42
eagerly in my hand. Stocked before00:21:45
nightfall, the note had said. I wondered00:21:48
what time it was. I picked up my pace,00:21:52
barely pausing to inspect the signs00:21:54
above the sections that I passed. A00:21:57
ruspacy mquetology.00:22:00
I sniffled. That weird charred smell was00:22:03
back. There was a sort of haze in the00:22:06
air, too, as though the shelves were00:22:09
filling with smoke.00:22:12
The burning man. The thought crossed my00:22:15
mind seconds before I saw him. a black00:22:18
shade wreathed in fire. Although the00:22:21
flames around him burned white hot, the00:22:24
carpet beneath his feet wasn't even00:22:26
singed as though this was a special fire00:22:29
meant only for him.00:22:32
A low groaning sound came from his rib00:22:34
cage. It was a noise that bones might00:22:38
make if they could scream.00:22:40
The burning man's back was to me, and I00:22:43
prayed that the wheels of the hand cart00:22:45
wouldn't squeak as I snuck past his00:22:47
aisle.00:22:49
I rounded a corner and felt the air00:22:51
clear. I had made it this time.00:22:55
Another angry bang came from inside of00:22:58
the box, reminding me of what I was00:23:00
doing in the depths of the bookstore.00:23:03
A few minutes later, I finally found a00:23:06
section that I thought might fit.00:23:08
esoteric hagography00:23:11
wasn't that the study of saints.00:23:14
Better yet, the shelves were only about00:23:16
twothirds full. There was more than00:23:19
enough room to do what I needed to and00:23:21
get back to the front desk before what00:23:26
the cover of the agony of Saint Anora00:23:28
lifted slightly as though something was00:23:31
bashing against it from below.00:23:34
A whale came from within, one that00:23:37
reminded me of a woman crying in pain.00:23:40
I scrambled to cram it onto the shelf.00:23:43
And as I slid it into place, I felt00:23:46
someone's cold fingers slip out from00:23:48
between the pages and brush against my00:23:50
own.00:23:52
With a sinking feeling in my gut, I00:23:54
turned back to the box. A large tome00:23:57
bound in what I hoped was leather had00:23:59
flung itself free, and it was rattling00:24:01
on the floor. Inside of a small white00:24:04
lace booklet, a chant was growing louder00:24:07
and louder.00:24:09
There were other warning signs, too, but00:24:12
none of them seemed nearly as urgent as00:24:14
that unholy chorus.00:24:17
It sounded like it was coming from00:24:18
inside of my own skull, and it didn't00:24:21
stop until I put it into place on the00:24:23
shelf.00:24:25
And behind me, the skin bound to flipped00:24:28
open. A ra-headed crimson thing rose out00:24:32
of it as though climbing from a well.00:24:35
The blood soaked monk's robes that it00:24:37
wore left no stain in the pages, but00:24:40
when its empty eye sockets met mine, I00:24:43
knew that it was no hallucination.00:24:46
Sitter, it hissed, pointing a skinless00:24:50
finger directly at me.00:24:53
Other books were struggling to open00:24:55
themselves as well, but there was no00:24:57
time for that now. I had to get away00:25:00
while I still could.00:25:02
I glanced over my shoulder and was00:25:04
horrified to see that where there had00:25:06
been an open aisle behind me, there was00:25:08
now only a sealed wall of bookcases.00:25:12
The flayed monk got down on all fours00:25:14
like an animal, twisted his head around00:25:16
backwards, and skittered towards me. I00:25:20
dived out of the way and crawled00:25:21
frantically toward the book that he had00:25:23
come from. As he charged for a second00:25:26
time, I slammed it shut and watched him00:25:28
disappear into thin air. As I slammed00:25:31
his book into place on the shelf, I read00:25:34
its title, The Flame of Saint Valick. I00:25:38
shelf the rest of the books, beginning00:25:40
with the most active ones, and by the00:25:42
time that it was done, I was panting00:25:44
from the effort.00:25:46
Who the hell would buy one of these00:25:48
awful things? I wondered. And what might00:25:51
they use it for?00:25:54
The clang of the shop's bell reminded me00:25:56
that I would probably find out soon00:25:57
enough. It also reminded me that I was00:26:00
lost in the depths of the store. So lost00:26:03
that it seemed strange to me that I00:26:05
could hear the bell at all.00:26:08
And then I remembered the red cable. It00:26:11
was there all right, even if it wasn't00:26:13
where I had remembered.00:26:16
The path back to the entrance led00:26:18
through an entirely different set of00:26:19
shelves. And along the way, I saw00:26:22
something that chilled me to the core.00:26:25
At the end of one of the aisles, a man00:26:28
hung by a belt from the rafters.00:26:31
He was skeletally thin and pale. It00:26:34
seemed that the rope had just finished00:26:35
what starvation had already begun. The00:26:39
flesh on his fingers had been chewed00:26:40
off. And although I couldn't have said00:26:43
for sure, it seemed like he had done it00:26:46
himself.00:26:48
The second I took a step toward the poor00:26:50
man's cadaver, and then I realized what00:26:53
recovering it would mean, I would have00:26:56
to leave the safe zone marked by the red00:26:58
cable and cross four more corridors.00:27:01
When I turned back around, would I find00:27:04
only another wall of bookcases?00:27:06
Would I wind up wandering helplessly for00:27:09
weeks or even longer, literally eating00:27:11
myself just to keep the hunger at bay?00:27:15
I turned away from the grizzly site and00:27:17
hurried toward the front desk.00:27:20
Even though it felt like I had walked00:27:21
for hours to reach this section, I00:27:24
arrived at the front of the store in00:27:26
less than 2 minutes.00:27:28
The man at the counter cleared his00:27:30
throat. I looked him over nervously.00:27:33
goatee piercings longlength black trench00:27:36
coat. I asked how I could help him.00:27:40
I need a cookbook, he whispered. When he00:27:44
saw the look on my face, he blushed and00:27:46
added. My girlfriend says if I don't00:27:49
start pulling my weight around the00:27:51
house, she's going to kick me out. I'm00:27:54
fine with anything so long as the00:27:55
recipes are easy.00:27:58
It occurred to me that even a shop like00:28:00
this from time to time would be visited00:28:02
by regular folks. I was about to warn00:28:05
him to be careful not to get lost, but00:28:08
the store behind me seemed to have00:28:09
shrunk somehow. The oddly named sections00:28:13
had vanished, and the culinary nook was00:28:15
plain to see. I pointed to it and00:28:18
watched him shuffle away sheepishly.00:28:22
A few minutes later, the bell clanged00:28:24
again. A stocky gray-haired woman in a00:28:27
puffy pink sweater walked through the00:28:28
door. Unlike the young man in the00:28:31
cooking section, she didn't say hello or00:28:33
acknowledge me at all. She just stared00:28:36
from behind her thick tortois shell00:28:38
glasses.00:28:40
Her glare continued even as she waddled00:28:42
past the front desk. Her neck twisted in00:28:45
a way that shouldn't have been possible,00:28:47
not even for a contortionist.00:28:50
I gulped. This was no ordinary customer.00:28:55
Trying to act casual, I slipped out from00:28:57
behind the desk and I walked into the00:28:59
stacks, pretending to be searching for00:29:01
something.00:29:03
As soon as I was out of the woman's line00:29:04
of sight, I planned to tell the young00:29:06
guy in the trench coat something. I00:29:09
still wasn't sure what to get him out of00:29:11
harm's way. I was rounding the corner of00:29:14
the second set of bookcases when the00:29:16
woman walked out in front of me.00:29:18
She was breathing excitedly through her00:29:20
mouth, which suddenly seemed much wider00:29:23
than it had been a moment ago.00:29:26
Her head moved toward me, even though00:29:27
her body hadn't budged. She ran her00:29:30
tongue over wormy, violet lips.00:29:34
On the other side, I could see several00:29:36
rows of tiny razor-sharp teeth.00:29:39
Even without words, I understood her00:29:41
warning.00:29:43
Stay put. Don't interfere.00:29:46
As I backed away, I whistled, coughed,00:29:49
and even knocked over a display stand.00:29:52
But none of it was enough to make the00:29:53
young man turn around.00:29:56
I didn't see what happened next, but I00:29:59
heard it. The gasp, the scream choked in00:30:03
blood, the gruesome sound of feasting.00:30:08
The noise reminded me of a pack of00:30:10
hyenas ripping apart a corpse.00:30:13
I stayed frozen behind the front desk00:30:15
until the woman passed by for a second00:30:17
time. Beneath her fluffy pink sweater,00:30:20
her stomach was hideously distended as00:30:23
though she had just eaten something even00:30:25
larger than she was.00:30:28
She bought a pair of romance novels and00:30:30
a thick purple encyclopedia called00:30:33
Mindaltering Toxins of the Great Lakes00:30:35
Regen.00:30:37
There was still a few flexcks of red on00:30:39
her cheeks. I glanced back down the00:30:42
aisles behind her. They extended into00:30:45
the distant darkness once again.00:30:48
The store, it seemed, could rearrange00:30:50
itself based on the customers inside of00:30:52
it. I wondered what else it was capable00:30:55
of. Was it sentient, or was it just00:30:59
reacting to these stimulus around it,00:31:02
the way that plants in shade inclined00:31:04
toward the sunlight?00:31:06
Did my mother also have to learn all of00:31:08
this the hard way back when she was the00:31:11
bookkeeper?00:31:13
My experiences so far left one thing00:31:16
crystal clear. The store couldn't or00:31:19
wouldn't protect me. I was disposable00:31:23
just like my mother, the hanging man,00:31:25
and all the other bookkeepers before us.00:31:30
The pork fried rice and dulong teas00:31:32
sitting on the counter had gone cold,00:31:34
but I woke them down anyway.00:31:37
As I ate, I thought about the red cable.00:31:40
Someone had found a safe path through00:31:42
the store and put it there, which meant00:31:45
that the previous bookkeepers might have00:31:47
other information to pass down.00:31:49
Information which could help me stay00:31:51
alive inside of this nightmare. The idea00:31:54
hit me with the force of a religious00:31:56
revelation. I shoved aside my food and00:31:59
started turning the staff room upside00:32:01
down. I checked beneath drawers in the00:32:04
pages of magazines behind the toilet and00:32:08
inside the lampshade, but I found00:32:10
nothing.00:32:12
And then I looked at the mirror at my00:32:14
own baby picture still tucked snugly in00:32:17
the corner.00:32:19
If my mother had left anything else00:32:21
important behind, it might be connected00:32:23
to the mirror as well.00:32:25
I lifted it gently from the wall. A thin00:32:28
red journal was taped to the back of it.00:32:31
The first page was blank. The second00:32:34
began with a chilling greeting. Hello,00:32:38
stranger. My name is Eugene Dodd. It00:32:41
began. And if you're reading this, then00:32:44
I'm already dead. I know I can't make00:32:46
you believe any of what I've written00:32:48
because for all you know, this journal00:32:50
is just another one of the booksto's00:32:52
little tricks. Not sure what I mean? You00:32:55
must be new here. Until this place00:32:57
caught me on the night of December 17th,00:33:00
1948.00:33:02
I was a club drummer with a two pack00:33:04
habit and a criminal record for theft,00:33:07
which kept me from getting a straight00:33:08
job.00:33:10
I used to walk past weeping free books00:33:12
every morning on my way back from gigs,00:33:15
and there was always this pretty00:33:17
brunette sitting on a stool behind the00:33:19
front desk.00:33:21
One morning when I was still drunk from00:33:23
the night before, I decided that I ought00:33:25
to go inside and talk to her. We headed00:33:28
off right away and pretty soon we were00:33:30
sharing coffee, donuts, and kisses00:33:33
behind the counter every morning.00:33:36
She was lonely. She said she had an00:33:39
abuser in her life, one who wouldn't let00:33:41
her go, and she wanted my help.00:33:44
She asked me to bring her a pistol so00:33:46
that she could finally be free.00:33:49
By that point, I would have done00:33:51
anything to help her. So, I reached out00:33:53
to some of my contacts and got her what00:33:55
she wanted.00:33:57
You should have seen the smile on her00:33:59
face when I walked in the door that00:34:00
snowy December morning, opened up my00:34:03
coat, and showed her the 38. She ran up00:34:06
to me, kissed me deep, and took it out00:34:08
of my hand. Then, she told me she was00:34:11
sorry, and she used it on herself.00:34:15
I was in shock.00:34:17
Even though there was no way anybody00:34:19
could survive a wound like that, I still00:34:21
tried to go find help. But I couldn't00:34:24
get any closer to the door.00:34:27
When I turned around again, the store00:34:29
had absorbed all that was left of the00:34:31
girl I loved. Even the bullet hole on00:34:34
the wall had disappeared like it was00:34:36
never there.00:34:38
At noon, a guy from the deli around the00:34:41
corner dropped off some sandwiches,00:34:43
collected the trash, and left without a00:34:45
word.00:34:47
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?00:34:50
Here's what I've learned in the past few00:34:51
months. Maybe it'll be useful to you.00:34:55
Then again, maybe not.00:34:58
Weeping Tree Books has been around since00:35:00
1862 at least, but its history probably00:35:04
goes back a lot further than that.00:35:07
I only know that date because of a00:35:08
rolled up newspaper in the pocket of a00:35:10
skeleton that I found.00:35:13
The dead man's clothes were right for00:35:15
the time period. And while I don't know00:35:17
what killed him, something took the time00:35:20
to pluck the teeth out of his skull.00:35:23
The store moves around a lot. I found00:35:26
junk in here from Baton Rouge, London,00:35:28
Hong Kong, and Montreal, just to name a00:35:31
few.00:35:33
Somebody in power is aware of the00:35:35
place's existence because every now and00:35:37
again two government types in black00:35:39
suits that come by to scope it out. They00:35:43
never come inside though. They probably00:35:45
know better.00:35:48
Which brings me to the customers. You'll00:35:51
get some average folks here and there,00:35:52
but the majority come to Weeping Free00:35:54
Books because what's available here00:35:57
can't be found anywhere else.00:35:59
Some of them won't notice your presence00:36:01
at all, and most will ignore you out of00:36:04
respect for the bookstore.00:36:07
Then there are the others. The ones who00:36:09
will want to drink your blood or lay00:36:11
their eggs in your throat. The ones who00:36:14
will want to dissect your thoughts and00:36:16
feed on your fear. For them, you're just00:36:19
a special treat on the way to whatever00:36:22
twisted knowledge they came here to00:36:23
find.00:36:25
I've been lucky so far. But that's the00:36:28
thing about luck, right? Sooner or00:36:31
later, it always runs out.00:36:35
I've been here for over 13 years now,00:36:37
and I can feel myself starting to slow00:36:39
down. I may not be able to get out of00:36:42
this place, but maybe I can take it to00:36:44
hell with me. I asked Mickey over at the00:36:47
deli to bring me a couple of gas cans00:36:49
and a box of matches.00:36:52
All I need now is a spark.00:36:55
And so, stranger, I guess this is00:36:57
goodbye.00:36:59
Maybe these words will go up in smoke00:37:01
along with the rest of this god-awful00:37:03
place.00:37:04
But if they don't, and you stumble on00:37:06
this little journal a couple of decades00:37:08
down the line,00:37:10
and don't say I didn't warn you.00:37:14
That was the end of Eugene's00:37:16
handwriting. I thought I finally had an00:37:19
idea about who the burning man might00:37:21
have been. Another bookkeeper had picked00:37:24
up where he had left off and another00:37:26
after that, but there was no time to00:37:28
flip through them now. The dusty bell00:37:31
above the door was ringing.00:37:34
And so it went. There were days when I00:37:37
had no customers. There were days when00:37:39
the demands of being the bookkeeper left00:37:41
me aching and exhausted. For every00:37:44
ordinary customer, there were a dozen00:37:46
who were more or less than entirely00:37:48
human. Their request sent me scurrying00:37:51
to the depths of the bookstore, places00:37:54
where the shelves stretched too high to00:37:56
see or where the stairs spiraled down00:37:58
into a cold, damp darkness that seemed00:38:00
to have no bottom.00:38:03
I got to know John, the long-haired00:38:05
teenager who had brought me my meals00:38:07
from the restaurant across the square.00:38:09
He seemed to understand my situation and00:38:12
offered to cook my meals rather than00:38:14
just bringing me leftovers.00:38:16
After trying his attempts at French00:38:18
toast and spaghetti, however, I decided00:38:20
to stick to the menu.00:38:23
In my free time, I read everything that00:38:25
I could get my hands on, but especially00:38:27
the journal that I had discovered behind00:38:29
the mirror. Within its pages, I found a00:38:32
list of the most dangerous customers00:38:35
along with their physical descriptions00:38:37
and suggestions for how to survive their00:38:39
visits. The squat, greyhaired woman made00:38:42
an appearance beside the line. Let her00:38:46
do as she pleases if you want to live.00:38:49
Next came the notes of a bookkeeper00:38:51
named Anna who had marked the safest00:38:54
route through the store with a red00:38:55
cable. Apparently, she had also set up a00:38:58
blue cable that ran vertically and a00:39:01
yellow one whose purpose I couldn't00:39:03
guess. Anna's section of the journal00:39:05
ended abruptly with the phrase,00:39:07
"Tomorrow I'll take my stable gun and00:39:10
follow the yellow line all the way to00:39:13
the pages beyond had all been ripped00:39:15
out." I had hoped to find something00:39:17
written by my mother among the other00:39:19
bookkeeper scribblings, but there was no00:39:22
such luck. I checked the back of the00:39:24
baby picture pressed into the corner of00:39:26
the mirror, but there I found only a00:39:28
single mysterious phrase.00:39:31
I've hidden it in the puzzle book00:39:33
section. No matter what happens, Pigface00:39:36
can't be allowed to have it. I had never00:39:39
seen any sort of puzzle section in the00:39:41
bookstore, and I had no idea who Pigface00:39:44
was, but whatever my mother had written00:39:47
was so important to her that she had00:39:49
used the entire back of the photograph00:39:51
to send her message.00:39:53
And then during my second week at00:39:55
Weeping Tree Books, a customer arrived00:39:58
who would change my life forever.00:40:01
He came in an hour after lunch and as he00:40:03
walked through the doorway, he smothered00:40:05
the sound of the bell with an enormous00:40:07
hand. Despite his immense size, he moved00:40:10
silently.00:40:12
If I hadn't happened to look toward the00:40:13
front of the store in that precise00:40:15
moment, he could have easily snuck up00:40:17
behind me. He had the kind of bulky,00:40:20
overgrown build that I associated with00:40:23
steroids. But his tan to skin and00:40:25
weatherbeaten clothes gave him the00:40:28
appearance of someone who lived on the00:40:30
streets.00:40:31
Weirdest of all was his mask, a pink00:40:34
rubber pig's head that stuck out from00:40:36
beneath his hood.00:40:39
"Pig face," I thought, and shuddered.00:40:42
"I'm looking for some stolen property,"00:40:46
the huge man rumbled. It's in here00:40:49
somewhere. I can smell it.00:40:53
When I asked him what title he was00:40:55
searching for, he chuckled. It was like00:40:58
a mountain laughing.00:41:00
There isn't any title, but I'll know it00:41:03
when I see it.00:41:06
I started to tell him that he was free00:41:08
to browse for as long as he liked, but00:41:11
that only got another rumbling giggle.00:41:14
Oh no, Pigface insisted.00:41:18
You're coming with me.00:41:21
He put a hand on my shoulder and00:41:23
pinched. It felt like my arm was about00:41:25
to pop out of its socket.00:41:28
I clenched my teeth to avoid crying out,00:41:31
but it was clear that running away00:41:33
wasn't an option.00:41:35
Pigface, half guided, half pushed me00:41:37
forward into the stacks. I noticed00:41:40
nervously that we weren't taking the00:41:42
safe route, but before I could mention00:41:44
it, we had made another turn and the red00:41:47
cable had disappeared completely.00:41:50
I wondered aloud whether the big man00:41:53
knew what section his stolen property00:41:55
might be in. "Just keep walking," he00:41:59
grunted and nudged me toward a downward00:42:01
spiraling staircase that I had never00:42:03
seen before.00:42:05
The list of dangerous customers in the00:42:07
journal hadn't mentioned anyone who00:42:09
looked like this, but that didn't mean00:42:11
much. Whoever had compiled it had only00:42:14
been the bookkeeper for a few months,00:42:16
and the note about Pigface came00:42:18
afterwards.00:42:21
Each subbed00:42:23
was disorientingly similar to the first00:42:25
floor. I kept an eye out for Anna's blue00:42:29
cable, but there was no sign of it.00:42:31
Whoever the big stranger was, he seemed00:42:34
to know exactly what he wanted and where00:42:36
he was going.00:42:38
There, Pigface rumbled, pointing to the00:42:42
top shelf of a section marked puzzle00:42:44
books.00:42:46
I was so unnerved by how deep we had00:42:48
gone and by the fact that I couldn't00:42:50
find my way back that it took me a00:42:52
moment to react.00:42:55
Pigface gestured irritably to the ladder00:42:58
beside the shelf. I figured he was too00:43:00
heavy to climb up it himself.00:43:03
As reluctant as I was to turn my back on00:43:05
him, I put my boot on the base of the00:43:07
ladder and went to retrieve his stolen00:43:10
property.00:43:12
The top shelf was higher than it had00:43:14
looked from below, and the stranger's00:43:17
large size distorted the dizzying view00:43:19
downward.00:43:21
The ladder wobbled uneasily as I grabbed00:43:23
the book that Pigface was pointing to.00:43:26
It was a beautifully embossed volume00:43:28
that looked like it could have been a00:43:30
collection of fairy tales, and I00:43:32
couldn't resist taking a quick peek00:43:34
inside. I pretended to lose my balance00:43:37
and let the book fall open on the rung00:43:39
in front of me. The page I had flipped00:43:42
to showed a photo of some kind of stone00:43:44
pit, one that had been sealed with rusty00:43:47
bars. It looked real enough to touch.00:43:50
And then a pair of hands reached up from00:43:53
the darkness inside. A young boy pressed00:43:56
his face against the bars, mouthing the00:43:58
word, "Help!" I gasped and turned the00:44:01
page, only to find another pit holding00:44:04
another child. I thought of all the00:44:07
stories I had heard about witches and00:44:09
ogres with big burlap bags who came to00:44:11
drag away the bad kids. If there was any00:44:14
truth to them, it wasn't a stretch to00:44:17
imagine that such a creature might be00:44:19
storing his victims inside of an00:44:20
enchanted book.00:44:22
The ladder trembled. Pigface had grabbed00:44:25
it and now he was jabbing his finger up00:44:27
at me, ordering me to throw him the book00:44:30
right now.00:44:32
I shook my head and told him that I00:44:34
would be down in a minute. Pigface00:44:37
kicked the letter. I hugged the rungs00:44:39
with one hand and clutched the book00:44:41
against my chest with the other. It was00:44:43
my only bargaining chip. Once the big00:44:46
man got it, he could do whatever he00:44:48
wanted with me.00:44:50
If I was lucky, I might end up in one of00:44:52
those cells between those beautifully00:44:54
etched pages.00:44:57
I threw myself against the nearest00:44:58
shelf. Its ledge was barely wide enough00:45:01
to support my sweaty fingers.00:45:04
And there's nowhere to run. If you come00:45:06
down now, I promise that I'll make it00:45:08
quick. I looked left, right, and then at00:45:11
the perilous drop below. Pigface was00:45:14
right, but I wasn't going to admit it.00:45:18
I scooted along the ledge while he00:45:20
followed down below, waiting for me to00:45:22
give in to the inevitable.00:45:25
He was too big to climb up after me, but00:45:27
I figured it was only a matter of time00:45:29
before he decided to knock over whatever00:45:31
shelf I was clinging to. And what would00:45:33
happen then?00:45:36
I scrambled diagonally and down, making00:45:39
sure to stay beyond the reach of these00:45:40
strangers freakishly long arms. My eyes00:45:44
started up to these single incandescent00:45:46
light bulb illuminating this particular00:45:48
nook of the bookstore and it gave me an00:45:50
idea. I flung the first hard cover I00:45:53
grabbed at the bulb and when it00:45:55
shattered00:45:56
I leapt to the floor in darkness. A00:45:59
shower of other books tumbled down00:46:01
behind me but I didn't hear any sounds00:46:03
of pursuit as I crawled around the00:46:05
corner and got to my feet. I couldn't00:46:08
even hear the big man's breathing. Where00:46:11
had he gone?00:46:13
A hand clamped down on my face.00:46:16
Bet you didn't know that I could see in00:46:18
the dark.00:46:20
Pigface tightened his grip on my face a00:46:22
little, but the pressure was enough to00:46:24
make me scream. His free hand closed00:46:28
around his property and all of the00:46:31
captives within.00:46:33
I sniffed. Shortly after the bulb had00:46:36
shattered, I had become aware of a faint00:46:38
smoky smell wafting through the aisles.00:46:41
I spotted a faint orange flicker. The00:46:44
burning man.00:46:46
Eugene, I shouted. Help.00:46:50
Through a gap in the books, I saw the00:46:52
fiery corpse pause. And then everything00:46:55
seemed to happen at once. Eugene's flame00:46:58
wrethed spirit careen toward us,00:47:01
crashing into pigface like a fireball.00:47:04
He let go of me and tumbled backward,00:47:06
howling with rage and pain. I ran00:47:09
without looking back.00:47:11
I could hear the shelves reorganizing00:47:13
themselves, trapping the big man in its00:47:15
dabs. The store wasn't protecting me, I00:47:19
realized it was punishing Pigface for00:47:21
his disrespect.00:47:23
I spotted a staircase to my right, but I00:47:26
didn't dare to take it. Not without00:47:28
knowing where I was first. The sounds of00:47:31
Pigface is struggling grew fanger. I00:47:34
slowed down and concentrated my energy00:47:36
on searching for the blue cable, the one00:47:38
that Anna claimed she had used to00:47:40
navigate between levels of the00:47:42
bookstore.00:47:44
Four staircases later and I finally00:47:46
found it. I followed it to its meeting00:47:49
point with the red cable and then back00:47:51
to the front desk of weeping tree books.00:47:54
I slammed the big man's volume onto the00:47:57
counter and opened it. This time from00:47:59
the beginning.00:48:02
That charred smell made me look up00:48:04
before I had even begun.00:48:06
Eugene stood at the far end of the aisle00:48:08
holding something in his hand. He flung00:48:11
it toward me and then walked back into00:48:13
the stacks, leaving behind only a smoky00:48:16
haze and a flickering orange glow.00:48:19
After he had gone, I approached and00:48:21
retrieved it. It was a key.00:48:25
Its tip was black as though dyed by ink.00:48:28
And the site gave me a mad impossible00:48:31
idea.00:48:33
And then again, these photos of caged00:48:35
bits, these children trapped between the00:48:38
pages of a book. Wasn't that just as00:48:41
crazy?00:48:42
Maybe an insane problem demanded an00:48:45
insane solution.00:48:48
Working fast, I flipped to the first00:48:50
picture that showed one of those awful00:48:52
prisons. A padlock was clearly visible00:48:55
beside the bars. I lowered the key00:48:58
toward it and felt it sink into the00:49:00
page. I twisted it in the lock and then00:49:02
did the same for each cage on the00:49:04
following pages.00:49:07
I was rewarded by the sight of00:49:09
scampering feet and grinning faces. The00:49:12
children were finally breaking free. At00:49:15
any moment, I expected to see Pigface00:49:17
emerge from the depths of the store,00:49:19
covered with hideous burn wounds and00:49:21
roaring for vengeance. But the bookshop00:49:24
stayed silent.00:49:26
It had swallowed him just like it had00:49:28
swallowed as so many others.00:49:32
I knew that I might never learn the00:49:34
truth about how my mother was ins snared00:49:36
by weeping tree books or what happened00:49:38
to her afterwards. But after so many00:49:41
years of bitterness, I finally felt at00:49:43
peace with her memory. I had fulfilled00:49:46
her last request, one that she had00:49:49
entrusted me to find in spite of the00:49:51
nightmarish circumstances.00:49:54
In a few hours, John will come by with00:49:56
some egg rolls and shrimp fried rice.00:49:59
I'll read a few more chapters of the00:50:01
long goodbye and then crawl into bed00:50:04
before it gets dark.00:50:06
I've learned the hard way not to wander00:50:08
around the store at night.00:50:10
Tomorrow, I'll begin my search for00:50:12
Anna's yellow cable and the missing00:50:14
pages of Eugene's journal.00:50:17
There's no guarantee that it will lead00:50:19
to an escape from weeping free bugs, but00:50:22
I've got all the time in the world to00:50:24
find out.00:51:02
Rain, Nelson, meer, that one Woodsman,00:51:06
Sonic, JMD, Mina, Getter, Swat, Tino,00:51:10
Wayward, Son, Big Country, Allen, Jimmy,00:51:13
Caleb, Windsor, MP, Massacre, Jacob00:51:16
Barl, Miss Eldridge, Casey Law,00:51:18
Michelle, Lonewolf, Sam, Damon McCory,00:51:22
Affy, Ja, Justin Fenau, thirster,00:51:27
Kathy McGuire, th Leto00:51:32
seven unfaced00:51:35
shrimp, the fourth shrimp, Susan Gorn,Description:
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